A big shift in climate patterns affects human lives and the economy. On a personal level, the allergy I have had for years always gets worse when weather conditions change. On a broader scale, flash floods seem more frequent in Thailand after heavy downpours, some of which strike when the rainy season is supposed to be over.
Unbearable summer heat is expected to worsen as global warming gathers pace. Pollution, meanwhile, is having increasingly deadly consequences, and not just in terms of respiratory disease. In China, officials say smog may have been a factor in a Nov 15 highway accident that involved at least 30 cars and killed 18 people.
In India, pollution has triggered a reverse migration trend as people start to move from New Delhi to the countryside. Some high-profile moves have made news, such as the departure of Costa Rica's ambassador for southern India as Delhi's air made her sick.
At least 2.5 million people in India died prematurely due to pollution in 2015, more than in any other country, according to a study by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. Delhi is now the most polluted city in the world, according to the Brookings Institute. Illegal crop burning near the capital, as well as vehicle exhaust and construction dust are blamed for the smog that descends in the cool season.
The city, home to more than 20 million people, has become a "gas chamber", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Sales of facemasks are soaring and chatter about air purifiers fills internet chat rooms.
Meanwhile, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology has issued an alert for a La Nina weather event starting next month, saying the chance was triple the normal likelihood. In the past, La Nina has disrupted food crop supplies and mining output in the southern hemisphere.
Globally, efforts to cut carbon emissions are falling short of what is needed to hold the global temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement. Earlier this month, officials at the UN Climate Talks in Bonn said the planet had already seen about 1C of warming, and was on a track for at least 3 degrees unless carbon-cutting efforts become more ambitious.
Governments and non-government bodies as well as most individuals have realised the need to tackle climate change issues and made commitments to do so. Even war-torn Syria joined the Paris Agreement in mid-November, becoming the 170th party to do so.
Now, all 197 parties to the UNFCCC (United Nations Climate Change Conferences) have either formally ratified or signed the Paris pact. The 27 that have yet to ratify it will face increasing pressure to do so. Only one -- sadly, the United States -- has declared it will abandon the accord, though American scientists still hope to persuade President Donald Trump to change his mind.
The urgency of enhanced and ambitious climate actions is growing as temperatures in 2017 are on track to be the warmest on record in the absence of El Nino, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Carbon dioxide, meanwhile, is projected to rise by 2% this year, the first rise in four years, due mainly to a resurgence in China and less rainfall, the Global Carbon Project says. As well, extreme events continue to demonstrate the physical and social impacts of climate change, which magnifies naturally occurring weather phenomena.
Reducing carbon emissions takes time. A recent survey by China Carbon Forum indicated that about 90% of 260 stakeholders in that country's carbon market believe emissions will peak before 2030, with more than half expecting declines after 2025. The results underscore confidence in China's efforts to meet a target of capping emissions by 2030 as it shifts to renewable energy and curbs coal power.
Additional and stronger efforts are thus needed for both the short term, meaning prior to 2020, and longer term. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said that G20 countries require new policies to achieve existing pledges, and more ambitious pledges by 2020 to meet future goals.
Non-state actors also have a crucial and evolving role, as on-the-ground activities are potentially more important than broad-brush national policies. In my view, actions from everyone could contribute substantially.
Countries may travel at different speeds and arrive at different times, but we are all going in the same direction to avoid the most unpleasant consequences of a warming world.
