The IPCC just released its latest climate change report after a week of negotiations in Incheon, South Korea. Spoiler alert: things don't look so good. Much like a barkeep desperately trying to cut off a bachelor party at 4am, scientists are rallying to make their last calls before we hit the (next) point of no return.
TL;DR--after years of political and industrial inertia, fundamental and extensive changes are required for humanity to stave off the worst consequences of climate change. Overall, we're still fucked, but we could be less fucked if we get our shit together.
In honour of the release of the report, here are five videos of celebrities speaking out about climate change, starting with an angry, unapologetically pro-science take from Harrison Ford:
Next up, we have everyone's favourite amateur climate scientist, Leonardo DiCaprio. Speaking in his capacity as the then-newly appointed UN Messenger of Peace, DiCaprio opened the UN Climate Summit 2014. Rocking a manbun, DiCaprio introduced himself as a "concerned citizen", misprounced "delegates", and avoided mentioning his own lavish lifestyle (which, at the time, included regular use of a private jet to ferry him between stops on his campaign against climate change):
The Beyhive may have been abuzz when Beyoncé graced the "Hand in Hand" telethon to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief, but it (probably) didn't compare to the moshpits of scientists rejoicing after she went on record linking the increased flooding in Houston, 8.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico, and devastating monsoon in India to anthropogenic climate change in 2017:
Mark Ruffalo participated in Al Gore's
24 Hours of Reality, an annual 24 hour broadcast on climate change. Sam Champion, meteorologist for the Weather Channel, and Ruffalo chatted for just over 20 minutes, with the discussion ranging from meatless Mondays to renewable energy. While his rambling is difficult to follow at times, and OP still isn't quite sure where he's getting his numbers from, please have a little compassion. After all, we are all still learning:
Cher, Noam Chomsky, Ian McEwan, Mark Ruffalo, and David Attenborough, among others, featured in the documentary
In This Climate, which pairs an emotional musical score with facts and footage highlighting some of the impacts climate change has had on societies and environments around the world:
Wondering what us plebes can do to combat change? Not much! Nonetheless, while our options are limited and the future of climate change instead reliant on actions taken by governments, industry, and the wealthy, there are still a few things we can all do beyond just running the taps less and eating more greens:
- Having one fewer child, particularly in western nations with higher carbon emissions per capita.
- Live car free, or otherwise minimise your reliance on passenger vehicles (particularly gas-powered vehicles) whenever possible.
- Travel less, and opt for less carbon-intensive forms of travel when you do take a trip.
- Support scientific literacy initiatives.
- Vote!!! Support political candidates who take these issues seriously.
SOURCES
1234567Are you prepared for the future of climate change, ONTD?