Fatshimetrie – A hillside engulfed in flames near Lake Elsinore in California
While the world is watching recent climate developments, a new tragedy highlights the urgency of the current situation. Near Lake Elsinore in California, a hillside is engulfed in flames, rekindled by extreme weather conditions, symbolizing the immense challenges posed by climate change.
Recent expertise shows a worrying trend: 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record, exceeding pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5°C. The consequences of this runaway climate are already being felt around the world, with devastating typhoons in Asia, persistent droughts in southern Africa and the Amazon, and heat records broken in November.
This escalation in temperatures highlights the urgent need to take action to limit global warming. While the Paris Agreement set ambitious targets to limit global warming to below 2°C, or even 1.5°C, current trends are moving us alarmingly away from these goals.
The most recent forecasts indicate that global warming could reach 3.1°C by the end of the century, unless drastic measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of this runaway trend could be disastrous, with colossal economic and human costs linked to natural disasters caused by climate change.
Calls for action are multiplying, reminding us of the urgency of the situation. Countries around the world are being called upon to review their climate targets by 2035, as part of their nationally determined contributions. However, the commitments made at recent COPs are struggling to meet the challenges, raising fears of a growing gap between promises and concrete actions.
Faced with this alarming reality, it is imperative that policymakers and civil society actors act in a concerted manner to reverse the trend. The climate crisis is here, before our eyes, and the fires ravaging the hillside near Lake Elsinore in California are only the beginning of a series of disasters that are predicted if nothing is done to slow down global warming.
It is time to act, to take radical measures and to change our lifestyles to preserve our planet and future generations. Time is running out, and every action counts in the fight for a more sustainable and resilient future in the face of the challenges of climate change.