Paris Agreement 2015/Art.5 1 Parties should take action to conserve and enhance, as appropriate, sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases as referred to in Article 4, paragraph 1 (d), of the Convention, including forests.” (United Nations 2015. Adoption of the Paris Agreement).
Paris Agreement 2015/Art. 4. 19 “All parties should strive to formulate and communicate long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, mindful of Article 2 taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.” (United Nations 2015. Adoption of the Paris Agreement).
“Paris Agreement 2015/Art. 2. 1(c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient.” (United Nations 2015. Adoption of the Paris Agreement).
“Paris Agreement 2015/Art. 2. 1 (b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production; and.” (United Nations 2015. Adoption of the Paris Agreement).
“Paris Agreement 2015/Art. 2 1(a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below two (2) degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.” (Source: UNITED NATIONS 2015. Adoption of the Paris Agreement).
According to The Finnish Forest Association , the state of Finland owns around 26% of all the forests in Finland while private persons own the rest. As a forest owner in Finland you basically have the obligation to take care of the forest you own. As an individual, whether living in Finland or visiting the country as a tourist, you have the right to walk around in any forest in Finland which I currently do almost daily. On my walks I see lots of dead forest/trees that seem neglected.
Someone asked me why something like this happens to trees. To be honest, I do not know the answer. What I know for a fact (and personally see) is that garbage is being dumped in our forests. Every time I walk around/hike, I collect some trash thrown into our nature but I cannot clean up every piece of dirt/trash that is being thrown into nature.
Have you taken the time to ponder upon what YOU can do to prevent/stop human-caused climate change? As a suggestion, take the time to research the topic, e.g. starting by learning what the Paris Agreement says.
An excerpt from The Paris Agreement 2015/Art. 2: “Aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.” (UN 2015. Adoption of the Paris Agreement).
A year ago, in May 2016, after years of climate activity and months of reflection, Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank was born. What started out partly from a willingness to learn more about climate change, but foremost out of a deep concern for our global environments, the nature, and sustainability in general, has now become an active (social media) movement involving professionals and people from all kinds of industries across our world.
Climate change, environmental protection, and sustainable economic development are core factors affecting businesses, corporations, organizations, individuals, and thus societies holistically. In today´s world, none of us can afford ignoring climate leadership as a core value, and as a long-term competitive advantage, as well as an investment, in business practices across industries AND in our personal lives. Instead of denying the truth about the long-term negative effects caused by human behavior and unsustainable ways of conducting business/living our lives, we must embrace change not only in business practices, but in our everyday lives. Holistically. We already know HOW to do it. It is only a question about a willingness to embrace positive change, improve our ways of consuming, living, and conducting business. Of course, inter/national climate policies and regulations do have a significant impact, whereby local/global politics plays a significant role. Although, at the core of climate leadership, societies consists of smart individuals – the driving force to all change.
Climate leadership and taking responsibility for our environment belongs to EVERYONE. No individual can outsource his/her personal responsibility, wherefore we are all responsible for taking action and committing to changing our societies into sustainable places to live, now and in the future.
97 % of all scientists agree upon the fact that climate change, as it occurs in today´s world, is caused by us human beings. According to NASA – Global Climate Change – Vital Signs of the Planet, the evidence for this is fact-based and relevant. The (future) consequences of human caused climate change are yet partly unknown, although climate change in today´s world has already caused: sea level rise, global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining Arctic sea ice, glacial retreats, extreme events, ocean acidification, and decreased snow cover – to mention a few! How these changes affect life upon Earth, unless we take action and implement necessary changes, is to some extent yet a question mark.
According to The UN Migration Agency and based upon climate research, the number of climate refugees could rise up to 200 million by 2050. As per today, the UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than 22.5 million people have been displaced due to climate and/or weather-related events in the past decade. And, the number is continuously growing. Without hesitation, these are unsustainable facts and numbers.
With a reference to Adger,W.N., J.M. Pulhin, J. Barnett, G.D. Dabelko, G.K. Hovelsrud, M. Levy, Ú. Oswald Spring, and C.H. Vogel, 2014: Human security. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken, K.J. Mach, M.D. Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L.White (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 755-791. , climate change affects human security in a wide variety of ways, including food security, displacement, migration, mobility, inter/national conflict/s, critical infrastructures, state capacities, and geopolitical issues.
Climate leadership, including the necessity to act upon climate change and driving change that concerns all of humanity, must be taken seriously by everyone. It is not enough to have local/regional/national/global policies and regulations . Businesses, creating innovative solutions, are the true sustainability ambassadors, together with aware consumers/individuals.
ACT NOW – become a supporter of our global movement – Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank:
GCC Think & Act Tank on LinkedIn
GCC Think & Act Tank on Facebook
Climate Leadership by Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank
https://www.slideshare.net/annemariayritys/global-climate-change-think-act-tank-72400257
Together, we can, and will, make a difference. Each one of us does have a unique voice, and the capability of making a difference in our own way. The target was to grow Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank on LinkedIn to at least 1.000 members by the end of 2016. For that, I need your help. Your help through spreading the word, inviting new members, and being active in this group – dedicated to professionals (and, private persons) from all fields and industries who feel in their hearts and minds that environmental issues and climate change are top priorities to focus upon RIGHT NOW, because we are running out of time when it comes to transforming business and governmental practices upon Planet Earth to become increasingly much climate friendly.
Make a difference NOW! Start by joining Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank on LinkedIn, inviting others to join as well, and spreading the word about climate change and necessary actions on Twitter.
LinkedIn: Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank
Twitter: @GCCThinkActTank
Thank you.
Our Mission is to protect and to hand on Planet Earth to the next generation. Make sure to be part of the solution.
Everyone is talking about it. These days, avoiding discussions about climate change on media is an impossibility, unless, literally, living in a cave or underground. Even those choosing not to consume media products will be aware of it. Climate change is everywhere around us – we only need to go outdoors, spend time in nature and observe for ourselves that something is changing. Climate change skeptics may refer to natural changes in climate over longer periods of time, yet evidence based upon research indicates that we human beings are causing temperatures to rise across our globe due to burning fossil fuels, leading to increased carbon dioxide levels: NASA Earth Observatory: The Carbon Cycle
In its efforts to improve the state of the world, the UN selected climate action as one of the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS aimed at transforming our world. A great reminder on the UNITED NATIONS DAY, 24 OCTOBER, which serves as a reminder to all nations and citizens of the world to remember our global commitment to co-operate and to fulfil these goals, all of which are equally important and interdependent. Understanding the effects of climate change upon poverty is rather simple. To learn about climate refugees, take time to read more at UNHCR: Climate Change and Disasters and, as another example, published by Scientific American, The Ominous Story of Syria´s Climate Refugees.
195 states of the world agreed upon, and signed the Paris Agreement in December 2015, legally binding countries to a global climate deal, entering into force in 2020. Needless to say, we all must realize what it takes to reach the goals. Some countries are more progressive than others, and many companies/organizations equally so. Richard Branson´s Virgin Voyages, as an inspiring example, is the first major cruise line co-operating with a re-known clean energy innovator. In Sweden, a recycling revolution takes place, with less than one per cent of household waste ending up in a rubbish dump. Examples are numerous, from small companies taking action in innovative ways, to larger enterprises, municipalities, cities and countries changing business practices and/or general policies.
To learn more about climate change and climate action, you are more than welcome to join Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank on LinkedIn. For climate news, we also welcome you to follow @GCCThinkActTank and @annemariayritys on Twitter.
Anne-Maria Yritys 
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