Page 38 - Standard Indicators for the social appropriation of science
P. 38
increase in temperature between 0.5 and 1 complex as the one facing the world today,
degree, an increase in heat waves, which could it is not enough for everyone to be better.
become more intense and have an impact on The ecological conversion that is required to
mortality at a national level, but also at a global create a dynamism of lasting change is also a
level and a change in precipitation levels. In community conversion”.
the Mediterranean area, rainfall is expected
to decrease. In the Iberian Peninsula, for Climate policy
example, there will be a reduction of rainfall
around 40% south of the river Tagus. There Should international organisations make a
will be a decrease in the area of South Africa greater appeal and pressure for more green
and the Amazon, which will hinder the growth policies all over the world, and in particular
of vegetation and consequently the survival of in the countries that contribute most to the
the population in some areas. climate crisis?
Specifically, about the average sea level, there The European Commission and all European
will be an increase of 1 meter (maximum), countries have concluded that emissions must
which means significant changes for low areas be reduced. The European countries have
like Lisbon and New York, which will be flooded. coordinated the type of reduction that will
Some islands of the Pacific will disappear be made. In Europe there is an awareness
completely. of the climate emergency and there is some
consensus on the way forward. What has
Regarding the melting of ice caps, which been observed in Europe is the economic
corresponds to 1.7% of the total water of the transition from an intensive production system
globe, an increase of about 70% in sea level to an economy based on renewable energy
is expected, but it will not submerge the whole technologies and this has brought economic
territory, since we have very high areas. benefits.
If the socio-economic scenarios that have been
established come true, the worst predictions, Some kind of agreement between developed
the population will become much poorer on and developing countries is needed to boost
a global and European level. There will be emerging countries’ progress in renewable
an increase in asymmetries, there will be an energy, not coal-related energy. This will
increase in poverty, and it will be much more significantly limit emissions and to some extent
difficult to live on this planet. mitigate all these problems.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, what is the It was an important point to note that developing
real impact on nature and to what extent can countries increased their emissions. However,
a few months make an impactful difference? it must be taken into account that it is the
multinationals established in some of these
With the COVID-19 there was a substantial countries that do not respect the Paris
reduction in emissions. Only in Paris, there Agreement.
was a 70% reduction. There was a reduction
in automobile traffic. If we make an energy Wouldn’t the first measure be the voluntary
transition in which we leave the paradigm of oil commitment of the States and the industry?
to electric, the electric one based on renewable
energies, you will achieve a great reduction of The voluntary commitment has not worked.
gases. What many industries have done is
greenwashing: a green face wash as if they
The pandemic situation we are living through had a series of environmental commitments,
is an “opportunity” to rethink how we want to but then they continue to invest in purely
“restart” our lives. And “to solve a situation as polluting businesses. States have sometimes
38
Persist_EU
