04. The Syllabus: A. Understanding Sustainability and Climate Change
Fields Of Change: A Sustainability Handbook
Worryingly, we are already seeing evidence of the impacts of climate change now - storms are getting stronger and more frequent, temperature records are being broken each year, and sea levels are rising as sea ice melts. However, we should not see this as a reason to despair, or to avoid breaking bad news to others - as climate experts, it is our responsibility to communicate the gravity of this.
Despite all of this, whilst we know we need to move in a sustainable direction, 2021 saw the second biggest rise in fossil fuel emissions ever recorded. Top scientists such as Professor Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group, say “The science is clear. Any further delay in concerted global action and we will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future”.
The main industries that are contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss 10 :
• Food (agriculture & waste): Agriculture accounts for 20-25% of GHG emissions 11 , 70% of global water use 12 , and is the leading cause of deforestation 13 . One third of food never makes it to the table and this waste accounts for about 8% of GHG emissions as it decomposes 14 . • Fashion: accounts for 10% carbon emissions - which is more than the global aviation industry 15 . It is very water intensive, and as cheap synthetic clothes are washed repeatedly they degrade and release microplastics into water supplies 16 . • Travel: accounts for about 14% of global GHG emissions. Cars have the biggest impact 17 . • Construction: the production of cement alone accounts for 3% of global GHG emissions 18 . • Energy: Most things on Earth are powered by fossil fuels - just over 40% of global GHG emissions come from energy use in industry and in buildings 19 . A key thing to remember is that while we are talking about ‘global’ greenhouse gas emissions, the activities causing emissions are more highly concentrated in richer, more developed countries. For example, per person, a US citizen emits 30x more carbon than someone in Senegal, and a UK citizen emits 11x more than an Egyptian person 20 . It would take 5 Earths worth of resources to support the human population if everyone’s consumption patterns were similar to the average US citizen, but only 0.7 Earths if everyone lived like the average resident of India 21 . The poorest in the world have contributed the least to climate change - yet they will face its worst consequences.
What is the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)? THIS IS A COLLECTION OF THE WORLD’S TOP SCIENTISTS WHO PRODUCE REPORTS EVERY 6 YEARS OR SO FOR THE UN, WHICH ARE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE SYNTHESIS PAPERS THAT EXIST ON CLIMATE. THOUSANDS OF EXPERTS AROUND THE WORLD CONTRIBUTE, ASSESSING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS BASED ON RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, TECHNICAL AND SOCIAL-ECONOMIC INFORMATION.
AS A WELL-KNOWN AND TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE FOR CLIMATE INFORMATION, IPCC REPORTS GENERATE A LOT OF MEDIA COVERAGE WHEN THEY ARE RELEASED - SO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR RESPONSES FROM THE SPORTING COMMUNITY.
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