No immediate relief in sight from climate crisis

In a world faced with the urgent need to transition to cleaner energy and fix climate disturbances, the dominance of fossil fuels in the quest for energy security continues

- Ananda Banerjee

January this year was the warmest since weather record-keeping began in 1901. Eighteen out of the past 19 months saw the global average surface air temperature exceed 1.5°C above the pre-industrial levels, which is the consensus warming threshold to prevent irreversible effects of the climate crisis. The past year was the hottest year on record; in fact, each of the years in the past decade has been breaking this record.

The rising heat is narrowing the window of the already-short Indian spring. The pleasant or bearable months are now getting squeezed as February gets warmer. Climate studies warn us to brace for extreme weather events wherein the impacts of the climate crisis will blur the lines between natural and human-induced disasters, much like the Palisades fire in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Amid this climate emergency, the United States (US) has started the process of exiting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the second time under the leadership of Donald Trump, who signed the withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement on the very day he assumed office, citing the trillions of dollars his country will save. It is ironic that Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the climate crisis is a "hoax" and global warming a "green scam", had to see his inauguration ceremony as president moved indoors due to extremely cold conditions in Washington, DC, unusual for the period.

Burning of fossil fuels is the primary concern when it comes to global warming. The effects of the climate crisis on lives and livelihoods will continue to deteriorate until coal, oil, and gas are replaced with less polluting, renewable energy systems. Solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower are primary renewables and have seen acceptance worldwide.