14 DAY TRIAL // Only yesterday, the World Bank introduced the general public to the gloomy findings of a new study carried out by environmental scientists and specialists working with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics.
To cut a long story short, global average temperatures are quite likely to up by as much as 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of this century, which basically means that extreme weather manifestations such as heat-waves, severe droughts and powerful storms are bound to become a thing of the day.
According to the specialists who looked into this issue, regions such as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and various parts of the US are looking at an estimated 6-degree Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in their monthly summer temperatures.
As well as this, sea levels are expected to rise by 0.5-1 meters (1.64-3.28 feet) by the end of this century alone.
Regions such as Mozambique, Madagascar, Mexico, Venezuela, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are expected to be hit the hardest.
In case anyone was wondering why the World Bank might possibly be interested in this issue, the explanation is quite simple.
With extreme weather manifestations come poor harvests, and with poor harvests comes a decline in global food stocks.
Needless to say, this will ultimately impact on the economic stability of the global food industry, and sooner or later several nations will find that they have to give it their best in finding innovative ways to make ends meet.
“Climate change is one of the single biggest challenges facing development, and we need to assume the moral responsibility to take action on behalf of future generations, especially the poorest,” the current President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, wished to emphasize.
As he puts it, the only good news is that, “A 4 degree warmer world can, and must be, avoided – we need to hold warming below 2 degrees.”
This “Turn Down the Heat” report states that this predicted increase in global temperatures can be put a leash on if nations all around the globe agree to push for sustainability and a better management of whatever natural resources they have at their disposal.
The World Bank suggests that nation leaders worldwide cut down on providing subsidies for the fossil fuels industry and up investments in the development of green technologies instead.