Bristol University Press
Three ‘Soon It Will Be Too Late…’, Say 15,000 Scientists
-
Anne Hessel
Abstract
On November 13 2017, more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries issued a solemn warning against the risks of destabilization of the planet. Bang in the middle of COP23 they raise an alarm call: ‘Soon it will be too late….
humanity is not taking the urgent steps needed to safeguard our imperilled biosphere.’ Global warming, availability of drinking water, deforestation, reduction in the number of insects and mammals, emissions of greenhouse gases – all the lights are red yet the responses of the political leaders are terribly disappointing.
This text, published on the front page of the paper Le Monde, must not be ignored (see Figure 3.1). It sounds an alarm, a wake-up call. Political leaders meeting in Bonn for the 23rd annual summit on climate all know in their hearts that this summit will not change much. As the leaders prepare to ‘deal’ as usual with reports that have been passed around from government to government for decades, these 15,000 scientists are determined to alert the leaders and citizens of the world of the vital urgency of facing up to the issue and bringing about a radical change of direction. They stress that there are very few years left to change our ways of life if we seriously want to ‘save the planet’.
For us, several reasons force us to sound the tocsin and to insist on its very real urgency. There are some who might say that since most scenarios suggest that global warming will not become really serious for another 20 or 30 years, why not accept a few years of ‘business as usual’?
Abstract
On November 13 2017, more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries issued a solemn warning against the risks of destabilization of the planet. Bang in the middle of COP23 they raise an alarm call: ‘Soon it will be too late….
humanity is not taking the urgent steps needed to safeguard our imperilled biosphere.’ Global warming, availability of drinking water, deforestation, reduction in the number of insects and mammals, emissions of greenhouse gases – all the lights are red yet the responses of the political leaders are terribly disappointing.
This text, published on the front page of the paper Le Monde, must not be ignored (see Figure 3.1). It sounds an alarm, a wake-up call. Political leaders meeting in Bonn for the 23rd annual summit on climate all know in their hearts that this summit will not change much. As the leaders prepare to ‘deal’ as usual with reports that have been passed around from government to government for decades, these 15,000 scientists are determined to alert the leaders and citizens of the world of the vital urgency of facing up to the issue and bringing about a radical change of direction. They stress that there are very few years left to change our ways of life if we seriously want to ‘save the planet’.
For us, several reasons force us to sound the tocsin and to insist on its very real urgency. There are some who might say that since most scenarios suggest that global warming will not become really serious for another 20 or 30 years, why not accept a few years of ‘business as usual’?
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables, Figures and Boxes v
- Acknowledgements: The English Translation viii
- How We Can Win the Battle by Nicolas Hulot ix
- 2020: A Warning Shot by Anne Hessel x
- Foreword xiii
- ‘Our Home Is Burning and We Are Looking Elsewhere’ 1
- Global Warming: The Essential Cause Is Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 14
- ‘Soon It Will Be Too Late…’, Say 15,000 Scientists 24
- The UN Environment Programme Denounces ‘This Catastrophic Climate Gap’ between the Reductions Needed and the National Pledges 35
- Zero Net Carbon Emissions? Yes, It Is Possible 40
- Can We Make a Colossal Development Programme Work? We Can Do It! 50
- ‘€1,000 Billion for the Climate?’ If It Is Really Needed, Yes, We Can Do It! 56
- Putting Finance Back at the Service of the Common Good: The European Climate Finance Pact 78
- Save the Climate and Save Europe? It Is Now or Never! 97
- Conclusion: Creating a New Development Model 110
- Notes 112
- Index 119
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables, Figures and Boxes v
- Acknowledgements: The English Translation viii
- How We Can Win the Battle by Nicolas Hulot ix
- 2020: A Warning Shot by Anne Hessel x
- Foreword xiii
- ‘Our Home Is Burning and We Are Looking Elsewhere’ 1
- Global Warming: The Essential Cause Is Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 14
- ‘Soon It Will Be Too Late…’, Say 15,000 Scientists 24
- The UN Environment Programme Denounces ‘This Catastrophic Climate Gap’ between the Reductions Needed and the National Pledges 35
- Zero Net Carbon Emissions? Yes, It Is Possible 40
- Can We Make a Colossal Development Programme Work? We Can Do It! 50
- ‘€1,000 Billion for the Climate?’ If It Is Really Needed, Yes, We Can Do It! 56
- Putting Finance Back at the Service of the Common Good: The European Climate Finance Pact 78
- Save the Climate and Save Europe? It Is Now or Never! 97
- Conclusion: Creating a New Development Model 110
- Notes 112
- Index 119
