Tackling the Issue
Climate change presents a threat whose precise
magnitude is unknown but is potentially massive.
The impact of decisions made now will continue
DownloaD Graphic 2
to be felt for decades or centuries. Various analysts
have identified a 2°C increase in the global mean
temperature above pre-industrial levels as a thresh-
old beyond which climate impacts become signifi-
cantly more severe and the threat of major, irrevers-
ible damage becomes more plausible.
Staying under the 2°C threshold will require very
stringent measures on greenhouse gas emissions,
and the longer the delay in implementation, the
steeper the reduction trajectory required.
Various policies and measures to mitigate climate
change have been implemented worldwide. They
make up a crucial first wave in efforts to limit green-
house gas emissions and to ultimately switch from
the carbon intensive economies. Many important
actions have been taken but the net effect is still
woefully inadequate.
Mainstreaming climate concerns in development
planning is urgent, especially in sectors such as en-
ergy, transport, agriculture, forests and infrastructure
development, at both policy and implementation
levels. Adaptation to anticipated climate change is
now a global priority.
The clearance of forested land and its subsequent use for cattle and crop production, releases carbon stored in the trees and soils, and depletes its potential as a CO
2
sink.
Credit: Ngoma Photos
CLIMATE CHANGE 17