By Stacey Kimmig and Ayuska Motha
COP24 is well underway, with the bulk of negotiations expected to happen this week. Yesterday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) officially presented their special report on global warming of 1.5°C, spelling out the urgency of the need for immediate, rapid, and unprecedented action. As it stands, the country commitments fall short of keeping warming below 1.5°C. The results of this report have led to a feeling of urgency, not only in the negotiating rooms, but worldwide.
Civil society are making themselves heard through protests and actions here at the conference center, as well across the globe. Now more than ever, people are demanding action from their governments, but in fact, immediate and drastic lifestyle changes are required from each and every one of us.
If we don’t act now, drastic weather events will increase, and sea levels and temperatures will rise, threatening our homes and livelihoods. Even the medical community is speaking out about dramatic risks to our health from the increasingly toxic air in cities and acidity in our oceans. Everyone agrees that this is the largest crisis humankind has ever faced.