The effects of climate change are certainly the most visible phenomena on a global scale, but there are other challenges too, such as air pollution and the disappearance of biodiversity, for which international bodies like the UN, which speaks of a triple planetary crisis, are trying to mobilize governments.
For the UN, climate change is the main challenge. Rising temperatures are threatening the global ecosystem that enables the Earth to function normally.
According to Yale University, 97% of scientists consider human activities to be the primary cause of climate change, with energy, industry, transport and agriculture the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Worsening temperatures will be a problem for future generations, but phenomena such as melting ice caps, recurring droughts, fires, rising sea levels and declining biodiversity are impacting ever-larger populations, and the UN estimates that 21.5 million people will become climate refugees every year.
The Swiss Re insurance company is behind a report which, in 2021, estimates the cost of the consequences of climate change at 23 billion dollars between now and 2050, and estimates that countries such as the United States, France and Canada could lose between 6% and 10% of their economic potential over the next thirty years. Air pollution may be less visible, but it represents a real danger to the world’s population.
Estimates put the number of annual deaths caused by outdoor air pollution at 4.2 million, and the number of deaths caused by pollution from faulty and poorly maintained cooking equipment at 3.8 million, making pollution the leading cause of illness and early death worldwide.
The risk of pollution-related illness is estimated to affect 9 out of 10 people worldwide, particularly those living in environments where air pollution exceeds the thresholds defined by the WHO. These figures include all sources of outdoor pollution, such as transport, fires, industrial discharges and volcanic eruptions, as well as indoor pollution, notably from household appliances and heating.
The final challenge facing the Earth is the loss of biodiversity on land and at sea. The disappearance of flora and fauna is due in particular to overfishing in the oceans and desertification linked to climate change on land. Access to natural resources, whether water or food, depends on the richness and health of the planet’s ecosystems, each species being linked with the others to ensure the overall development of life on Earth. In this context, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the war waged by man on nature for his own development as suicide.
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