When history is written, 2022 will be seen as a watershed
year when all predictions by climate scientists will be seen to have come true and
in public eye!
The year began with a scorching heatwave in March across
India, Pakistan with temperatures crossing well over 40C. Temperature of 49.7C
was recorded in Nawabshah in Pakistan. These temperatures were the highest ever
recorded in March in this region since records began in 1901.
In Bangladesh, from April to July, the country was hit by the worst floods in its history, killing more than a 100 people and
displacing millions. According to news reports, most people died from
drowning, snake bites and lightening. When the floods hit in April the rice crop was standing in the fields and only half ripe. For a country of 160 million that relies on rice to
feed its people further disaster awaits in the guise of crop failure and
famine.
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/flood-in-bangladesh-death-toll-b2115060.html?amp
After the deadly heatwave of March, the monsoon rains brought further misery with flooding across the length of Pakistan from
Gilgit-Baltistan and KPK in North to Balochistan in the South. These floods destroyed the already fragile infrastructure in these areas. Roads,
bridges, dams were destroyed. More than 130 people died in
Balochistan alone. Many of the flood affectees in remote areas have still not
been reached. People in the affected areas still do not have access to clean water and
food.
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-floods-rain-related-death-toll-in-balochistan-reaches-130/1063724/?amp
In Uganda, flash floods and heavy rains caused two
rivers to burst banks, killing 24 people and leaving scores of others displaced
and without access of clean water and food.
https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/aug/03/eastern-uganda-flash-fooding-rainfall-mbale
Northern Italy is facing its worst drought to hit in 70
years. In July, government declared a state of emergency in five of its regions
due to drought. The legendary river Po, in Italy, also referred in some sources
as ‘king of rivers’, stretching from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea is also
drying up because of the drought. The river is pivotal in producing hydro
energy and agriculture.
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/10/po-river-italy-drought-climate
In July, Europe experienced its hellish heatwave where
the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain was 40.3C. This compelled the
government to issue its first ever Code Red warning! Countries affected by the
heatwave were United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France.
In Portugal, more than 250 blazes were reported, most of
these in northeast of Porto. According to news reports, one person was dying
every forty minutes, between July 7 and 13, and reportedly more than 650 died
from the heatwave! The highest temperature recorded was 46.3C.
In Spain, around 360 people may have died between July 10
and July 15 due to the extreme heat with “almost half of the wooded area of
Sierra de la Culebra, a mountain range in the northwest of Spain, has burned —
making it the largest fire recorded in Spanish history.”
This heatwave sparked a chain of wildfires in United
Kingdom and Portugal.
https://www.politico.eu/article/five-countries-suffering-from-the-heat-wave-in-europe/amp/
There were wildfires in Alaska, burning more than 3m acres of land.
The average lightening strikes in a year are 60,000 and in April alone there
were 40,000 strikes! These strikes combined with parched landscape due to
drought and early snow melt has sparked unprecedented wildfires.
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/18/alaska-wildfires-east-fork-lime-complex
Floods in Australia in early July.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-floods-worsen-thousands-more-sydney-residents-evacuate-2022-07-05/
In United Arab Emirates, “seven people died in the
torrential showers at the end of July, that saw the highest recorded rainfall
in the UAE in 27 years. The UAE deployed its army to support rescue efforts,
with over 870 people moved to safety in Sharjah and Fujairah. Almost 4,000
people were placed in temporary shelters.”
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/it-felt-surreal-residents-rescued-from-uae-floods-recount-harrowing-experiences
Floods in China
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/18/china-floods-sichuan-gansu-province-dead-thousands-evacuated
This is not an exhaustive list! Most of these countries in the global south have
negligible contribution to Green House Gas emissions in the atmosphere. 2022 showed that no one and no country
will, for long, be immune from the affects of climate change. These droughts, heatwaves,
flash floods, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods, forest and wild fires are the norm
now! Rising sea levels, crop failures, water scarcity are here to stay!
Inaction on switching immediately 20-30 years ago and failing every year after
that from fossil fuels to renewable energy has brought us to this world in
chaos, held together only by electronic and print media choosing to avoid
treating this as BREAKING NEWS!
This, while energy and oil companies declare record
breaking profits while the world population faces its worst cost of living
crises!
https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/02/bp-profits-oil-prices-ukraine-war-energy-prices-cost-of-living-crisis
This, while the Western countries vow to teach Vladimir
Putin a lesson!
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/28/g7-summit-talks-russia-war-ukraine
This, while USA is again stocking the fire to start another war with China after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan!
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/china-us-halts-dialogue-pelosi-taiwan-b2138876.html
The affects of this lesson are felt across all citizen
around the world! Where more people in the UK this winter will choose between
heating and eating and more children will have to go hungry during holidays as
their only meal was the lunch served in state schools! These lunches are not provided
in England!
https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/01/free-school-meals-should-be-for-every-child-no-ifs-or-buts
“The top 10% owns collectively €285 trillion (76% of the
world total), the middle 40% owns €85 trillion (22% of the total) and the
bottom 50% owns €8 trillion (2% of the total). Half of the world’s population
is almost entirely deprived of wealth, while the top 10% owns nearly three
quarters of it.”
https://wir2022.wid.world/chapter-4/
Either we choose to give up on everything we hold dear
like our thriving ecosystems, serene nature, peace, good health, a future for
our children or we resign ourselves to what 2022 has already given us as a
taster! The time to sit on the fence on climate change when we are engulfed by
climate emergency is long gone!
This inequality, continuous pandering, from vested
interests, to wage wars, to sell arms, drill oil, must end! Our world cannot
take it any more! We have to all come together in joint climate action to stop
this!
Please get involved in climate action. Find your local
climate activists or start your own. We are running out of time! For too long Big Oil have had a monopoly on what ordinary people must do to save life on earth, "by recycling more and eating seasonally".
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shell-asks-businesses-to-work-together-in-cutting-emissions-0pwkk2qnm
According to United Nations, "Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures."
The only answer is to stop using fossil fuels immediately!
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