THE EMERGENCY

WE MUST ACT NOW

 “Tell the truth” is our first demand. And the truth is, we’re in the middle of a climate and ecological breakdown. Social and economic systems around the world have begun to collapse. Only by committing to science and truth, no matter how hard, can we address this emergency head-on.

WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

Scientists agree that we must keep global warming below 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures. We’re already at +1.1°C. Without urgent action our children will grow up in a devastated world.

SMALL INCREASES REALLY MATTER

A 1.5°C increase will destroy, for example, 70%-90% of coral reefs. At 2.0°C, we’ll see drastic increases in extreme weather—stronger tropical storms, longer droughts, heavier downpours, and hotter heatwaves.

Keira Knightley teamed up with Extinction Rebellion to narrate an animated explanation of The Climate Emergency (2:30)

David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth, on what happens if we don’t act soon (3:57). Via The Years Project.

WE’RE NOT DOING ENOUGH

Even if every country delivers on all their current promises to reduce emissions, we’re heading for warming of over 3°C by 2100. To stay under 2°C warming, we demand massive action to reduce emissions now.

Source: Climate Action Tracker, Dec 2019

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IF WE DON’T RESPOND RIGHT NOW

The Climate and Ecological Emergency will be out of control very soon. The hotter it gets, the higher the risk of triggering irreversible feedbacks.
MASS EXTINCTIONWe depend on the natural world and biodiversity to survive. This is the Ecological Crisis: our planet’s 6th mass extinction is now underway.

MASS EXTINCTION

We depend on the natural world and biodiversity to survive. This is the Ecological Crisis: our planet’s 6th mass extinction is now underway.
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FOOD SHORTAGES

Loss of pollinators happening now threatens food supply. Staple crops like wheat are already harmed by changing weather patterns.
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WATER SHORTAGES

By 2050, the UN predicts 5 billion people—about half the world’s predicted population—will suffer water shortages for at least one month per year.
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EXTREME WEATHER

A 4°C rise in temperature will expose 74% of people to deadly heat. Flooding, wildfires, and storms will kill many more.
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DISEASE

Higher temperature and resulting increases in poverty will spread disease, expanding the range for diseases like malaria and dengue fever and putting hundreds of millions at risk.
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FORCED MIGRATION

The Emergency will drive people from homes beyond anything in human history. The UN expects 200 million to 1 billion climate refugees by 2050 (compared to 65 million in 2017).
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WAR & CONFLICT

With resources scarce and societies under increasing environmental stress, the likelihood of war—including nuclear war—and other conflicts will increase.
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SOCIETAL COLLAPSE

Combined escalation of all of these disasters puts society itself under threat. In the words of naturalist David Attenborough, “The collapse of our civilization is on the horizon.”