"Mankind now faces irreversible damage to planet Earth, a catastrophe that would forever change his ways and methods but not necessarily for the better."

Climate creates the setting for mankind’s very existence on this planet. It determines but often dictates modes and methods; form and style; clothing, shelter and diet. Irreversible climate change is therefore a frightening thought. Already, at the Equator, as Climate Change occurs, that central part of the Earth’s surface has become increasingly uninhabitable. Species of flora and fauna and micro-organisms in the food web that supports human existence, are already disappearing, or are at an advanced stage of extinction.

“With the loss of even the smallest organisms, we destabilize and ultimately risk collapsing the world’s eco-systems.

“The scientific evidence is that, if we have not taken dramatic action within the next decade, we could face irreversible damage to the natural world and the collapse of our societies.

“We’re running out of time but, there is still hope. I believe that if we better understand the threat (that) we face, the more likely it is that we can avoid such a catastrophic future.”

The words of Sir David Frederick Attenborough, natural historian and legendary English broadcaster, as frightening as they may be, offer hope. There is an opportunity window of 10 years. Barely enough time to complete the major transitions and transformations required, but not impossible if, as Sir David said, we better understand the threat we face.

Hotter

Mankind has released so much CO2 into the atmosphere that our world is now about 1°C hotter than it was in pre-industrial times. The warming has resulted in ice melting at the poles; huge country-size glaciers separating; ice shelves tumbling into arctic oceans and sea levels beginning to rise, threatening coastal cities everywhere.

“Erasure is what (coastal) communities around the globe are fighting… in the United States, Louisiana is on the front line of this climate crisis. It’s losing land at one of the fastest rates on the planet… at the rate of a football field every 45 minutes,” said Colette Pichon Battle, founder and Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy during a recent TED Talks lecture.

Caribbean national economies are at great risk from Sea Level Rise. And among the most vulnerable assets are seaports and marine terminals.

There is much that must be done. The evidence is clear. The time is now for a higher level of urgency.

The time is now for implementation. —