Climate credibility | The Economist

In Mexico, hurricanes have had a considerable increase in the last 10 years. Also forest fires, high temperatures and droughts. It is estimated that on the coasts with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans there will be more cyclones than the average recorded in recent years.

Scientists are alarmed that carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, contrary to the desire to lower them to eliminate the damaging effects of climate change.

Scientist Pieter Tans of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says: “The world is trying to reduce emissions and you don’t really notice it. In other words, by measuring the atmosphere, there is no progress”.

The issue is serious because there is acceptance that many productive reconversion efforts have to be made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If this does not happen, the impacts of climate change will continue to affect the world, with more heat waves, more floods, more droughts, more storms, greater rise in sea levels, more atmospheric pollution.

Anuja Malhotra, a specialist in ecosystems associated with health, warns: “A recent study of 6,800 ecosystems on all continents provided evidence that deforestation and the extinction of species favor pandemics. Ecosystem damage also leads to water contamination and that creates a breeding ground for infectious diseases. Similarly, soil degradation not only reduces agricultural productivity, it is also linked to disease and increased mortality.”

The devastating effect of air pollution is that it directly affects health. The World Health Organization warns that every year seven million people die from this problem. All countries have the responsibility to lower the levels of Greenhouse Gas emissions. According to the Paris Agreement, the planet’s average temperature should be below 1.5 degrees. To do this, the current levels of emissions must be reduced by 45%.

In Mexico, hurricanes have had a considerable increase in the last 10 years. Also forest fires, high temperatures and droughts. It is estimated that on the coasts with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans there will be more cyclones than the average recorded in recent years. Also high temperatures, which have reached 45 degrees in parts of the country such as the states of Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa. In Nuevo León, the drought led to a decrease in water reserves. According to the National Water Commission, until last May, the Mexican territory was at a drought level of 81 percent.

The Mexican government has just announced a Decalogue of pertinent policies to face global warming. Among the expected results, it is estimated that in 2024, 35% of energy sources will be clean and by 2030, 50% of cars will have zero emissions. It also opens 17 US companies in the energy sector to private investment to generate solar and wind power.

Green capitalism can only work if governments keep their climate promises. And we must not leave the future in the hands of chance.

smota@eleconomista.com.mx