Let the Climate Games Begin – Are More World Records Inevitable?
- Date: 25 July 2024
As all eyes turn to Paris this week to watch the world’s top conditioned athletes strive to break world records in the pool, on the track and on the mat, climate change may not be top of mind, but it should be.
Just last year, our planet went for gold, and sadly pulled off an incredible feat: the hottest year on record. And earlier this week, another record fell: Earth’s hottest day ever. Here at World Wildlife Fund headquarters in Washington, DC, 15 of the last 25 days have seen temperatures soaring above 90 degrees and maxing out at 104 (and that’s before accounting for the heat index). And it’s not just the extreme heat – raging wildfires, catastrophic early in the season hurricanes, and floods are devastating the lives, economies and ecosystems, as countless national and world temperature and extreme weather records continue to be shattered.
But how did we get here? Back in Paris in 2015, world leaders came together and agreed to set and meet global climate targets, and while some progress has been made, the climate crisis is unfortunately moving faster than we are. As we sprint full speed ahead toward planetary tipping points it may seem inevitable that the world will continue to break too many climate records. But together, we can change the game.
Everyone has a role to play in identifying and implementing solutions, from governments, philanthropists and businesses through to local communities and Indigenous Peoples. If we’re going to stop runaway climate change, conservation efforts must be grounded in places and communities, supporting local leadership and rights. Corporate sustainability efforts must go beyond the status quo, delivering meaningful impact. And both must ensure real transparency and accountability. Here are just a few of the urgent actions needed:
- Scaling up renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy access in a way that phases out fossil fuels while minimizing harm to nature and communities.
- Encouraging subnational entities–including cities, states, companies, and institutions–to promote, adopt and meet science based net zero targets and reinvent the ways we create, consume, transport and dispose of material in our economy.
- Meeting climate finance commitments that spur innovation and action in developing countries that respond to and build resilience to growing climate impacts.
Let’s seize this moment. World records should be reserved for athletes; it’s time to stop playing games with the future of our planet.