Amidst the looming specter of a climate cataclysm, The Healthier Hearts Foundation recognizes the glaring inadequacy of current climate action plans to address the urgent challenge of climate change. With increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events wreaking havoc across the globe, the imperative for swift and substantial action becomes ever more evident. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the pressing need for profound, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, commencing immediately and persisting throughout this pivotal decade. To curb global warming and limit temperature rise to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, emissions must undergo a drastic cut of nearly half by 2030—merely seven years away. The call for urgent and transformative measures transcends mere rhetoric; it demands heightened ambition, comprehensive economic restructuring, and a steadfast commitment to climate-resilient development, all while charting a definitive course towards achieving net-zero emissions. With time slipping away, the window for action narrows, compelling immediate steps to avert catastrophic repercussions and ensure a viable and sustainable future for generations to come.
In the face of an impending climate catastrophe, the current pace and scope of climate action plans are woefully inadequate to effectively combat climate change. Increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events are already impacting every region of the world. With rising temperatures, these hazards will only intensify, posing significant risks.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses the urgent need for deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all sectors, starting immediately and continuing throughout this decade. To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, emissions must already be declining and need to be nearly halved by 2030, a mere seven years away.
Urgent and transformative action is imperative, surpassing mere plans and promises. It demands increased ambition, encompassing entire economies, and transitioning towards climate-resilient development while charting a clear path towards achieving net-zero emissions. Time is of the essence, and immediate measures are essential to prevent catastrophic consequences and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
According to the latest IPCC synthesis report, urgent global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are necessary to avoid reaching the critical 1.5°C tipping point. Human activities, particularly centuries of fossil fuel combustion, unsustainable energy and land practices, and unsustainable consumption and production patterns, have already driven global warming to 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. This has resulted in a surge of extreme weather events worldwide, now the norm of climate change. Vulnerable communities, despite their minimal contribution to climate change, bear a disproportionate burden of its impacts. Highly vulnerable regions, housing around 3.3–3.6 billion people, experienced 15 times higher human mortality rates from floods, droughts, and storms compared to regions with very low vulnerability between 2010 and 2020. The adverse effects of climate change have inflicted significant damages and increasingly irreversible losses on ecosystems and human lives, leading to food shortages, housing and infrastructure loss, population displacement, and more. With further temperature increases, these extreme events will exacerbate and become increasingly unmanageable. Furthermore, the effectiveness of adaptation measures diminishes with heightened warming.
The latest synthesis report of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reveals that the combined climate commitments of 193 Parties under the Paris Agreement will result in a marginal decrease (0.3 percent) in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. However, this falls far short of the 43 percent emissions reduction urged by the IPCC to stay on the 1.5°C trajectory and would propel the world towards an unsustainable warming of around 2.5°C by the end of the century. Without strengthened cross-sectoral policies, the IPCC warns that the world is likely to surpass the critical 1.5°C tipping point by 2035. The livability of the world for current and future generations hinges on the decisions we make today. To curb climate change, rapid, deep, and sustained reductions in GHG emissions across all sectors, commencing immediately, are imperative. This necessitates global climate-resilient development action, accelerated adaptation and mitigation measures, and leveraging SDG synergies. Increased finance, political commitment, coordinated policies, international cooperation, ecosystem stewardship, and inclusive governance are all urgently needed for effective and equitable climate action.
Despite global demands for climate action and comprehensive climate education to prepare for a greener future, climate change education has lagged. Students and youth worldwide are clamoring for action and quality climate education. While nearly all countries (94 percent) claim to include climate change education in their curricula, evidence suggests otherwise. An analysis of national curriculum frameworks in 100 countries reveals that nearly half (47 percent) do not even mention climate change. Although 95 percent of teachers acknowledge the importance of teaching about climate change severity, only about one-third can effectively explain its effects in their region. Moreover, 70 percent of youth can, at best, explain only the broad principles of climate change. One in five youth feels ill-prepared for climate change based on their education and is requesting more information to grasp its complexities. Youth advocate for interdisciplinary, action-oriented education that is globally relevant and tailored to local realities, along with adequate teacher support.
Record-breaking rising sea levels pose a severe threat to hundreds of millions of people. Elevated GHG concentrations are driving global temperatures upward and trapping heat, with approximately 90 percent of the heat being absorbed by the ocean. This phenomenon is causing sea levels to rise due to ice loss on land, melting glaciers and ice sheets, and thermal expansion. According to the World Meteorological Organization, global average sea levels have risen more rapidly since 1900 than in any previous century over the past 3,000 years. Sea levels continued to rise in 2022, reaching a new record since satellite measurements began in 1993. Furthermore, the rate of global mean sea-level rise has doubled in the past decade, from 2.27 mm per year in 1993–2002 to 4.62 mm per year in 2013–2022. Even with efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, global sea levels are expected to keep rising over the next century, posing significant hazards for communities worldwide. Small island developing states and low-lying urban areas are particularly vulnerable, facing profound risks to coastal ecosystems and services, economies, livelihoods, health, and well-being. Approximately 900 million people reside in coastal areas at low elevations, equivalent to 1 in 10 people globally. The effects of sea-level rise and other climate impacts are already prompting relocations in countries such as Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and elsewhere. Tuvalu even plans to create a digital version of the island to replicate landmarks and preserve its history and culture before succumbing to rising seas.
The goal of $100 billion per year in climate finance by developed countries has yet to be achieved. Climate finance is essential for addressing the climate crisis. According to the UNFCCC, global climate finance flows averaged $803 billion annually in 2019–2020, a 12 percent increase from 2017–2018. This growth is attributed to increased mitigation actions in buildings, infrastructure, and transportation, as well as increased adaptation finance. However, despite the increase over the past decade, climate finance falls short of the levels needed to limit warming. Additionally, there is an unequal distribution of finance across regions, with fossil fuel-related flows surpassing climate financing for adaptation and mitigation in 2020. Developing countries' needs are estimated to reach nearly $6 trillion by 2030 to fulfill their NDCs, with adaptation costs alone potentially reaching up to $330 billion annually by 2030, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Developed countries' commitment to mobilize $100 billion in climate finance annually from 2020 to 2025 has not been met. Developed countries provided and mobilized a total of $83.3 billion in climate financing for developing countries in 2020, a 4 percent increase from 2019 but still falling short of the target. Moreover, more than 70 percent of climate finance from developed countries to developing nations between 2016–2020 came in the form of loans. The establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund at the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference (COP 27) to provide financial support to countries most affected by climate change impacts is the most recent step in enhancing the channels of financial support to address the climate challenge. The next milestones are to reconstruct climate finance delivery schemes and design a new climate finance goal in 2024 to urgently enhance both the quantity and quality of climate finance moving forward.
