SUMMARY of the Article “Mass extinction” by Aisha Khan, Dawn [Published on January 2nd, 2024]
The conclusion of the 28th Conference of Parties (COP) session in December 2023 marked progress in climate action but fell short of the urgency required to prevent the anticipated sixth mass extinction. Amidst growing eco-anxiety and challenges in multilateral processes, the article highlights the need for a more individualistic approach to address the threat to life systems. The author contextualizes the brief timeline of human civilization, spanning 200,000 years anatomically, 6,000 years for modern civilization, and the industrial age’s commencement in 1850. Despite scientific and technological advancements, the acceleration of climate change is primarily attributed to greenhouse gas emissions. The narrative shifts towards individual responsibility and suggests a change in perspective to expedite solutions. The key dilemma involves balancing existing lifestyles without compromising quality or altering consumption patterns. COP28’s discussions, particularly Sultan al-Jaber’s controversial statement on fossil fuels, underscore the reluctance to abandon fossil fuel-supported lifestyles. The article emphasizes the need for societies to reconsider current consumption patterns to adopt a low-carbon-footprint lifestyle. Highlighting the significant environmental impact of modern food systems, the author notes that going vegan could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The article acknowledges the alarming rate of extinction, potentially leading to the loss of 27% of plants and animals by 2100. The underlying issue lies in the transformative behavior of a single species, threatening habitats and triggering a biodiversity crisis. The battle for human survival, the article contends, depends on solutions from science and technology rather than negotiations, raising the prospect of an evolutionary shift influenced by artificial intelligence.
Easy/Short SUMMARY:
The conclusion of COP28 in December 2023 marked progress in climate action but fell short of averting the anticipated sixth mass extinction. Amidst growing eco-anxiety, the article calls for individual responsibility to address the accelerating climate crisis. It emphasizes the need for a change in perspective and the challenge of balancing existing lifestyles without compromising quality or altering consumption patterns. The reluctance to abandon fossil fuel-supported lifestyles is highlighted, urging societies to reconsider current consumption patterns for a low-carbon-footprint lifestyle. The article underscores the significant environmental impact of modern food systems and the potential benefits of going vegan. It acknowledges the alarming rate of extinction, mainly attributed to the transformative behavior of a single species, and emphasizes the role of science and technology in addressing the crisis.
SOLUTIONS of The Problem:
1. Individual Responsibility for Low-Carbon Lifestyle:
- Encourage individuals to take responsibility for a low-carbon-footprint lifestyle, acknowledging the need for collective change.
2. Balancing Lifestyles and Consumption Patterns:
- Address the dilemma of retaining existing lifestyles without compromising quality or altering consumption patterns.
3. Transition from Fossil Fuels:
- Advocate for a transition away from fossil fuels, recognizing the environmental impact, and exploring sustainable energy alternatives.
4. Global Shift to Veganism:
- Promote a global shift to veganism, highlighting its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production.
5. Reevaluation of Modern Food Systems:
- Encourage a reevaluation of modern food systems to address deforestation, biodiversity loss, and excessive use of freshwater.
6. Scientific and Technological Solutions:
- Emphasize the role of science and technology in providing solutions to combat climate change and environmental degradation.
7. Awareness and Education:
- Increase awareness and education on the environmental impact of human behavior, fostering a sense of responsibility.
8. Government Policies for Sustainability:
- Advocate for government policies that promote sustainability, renewable energy, and environmentally conscious practices.
9. Corporate Accountability:
- Hold corporations accountable for their environmental impact, encouraging sustainable practices and reducing carbon footprints.
10. International Collaboration:
- Foster international collaboration to address climate change collectively, sharing knowledge, resources, and technologies.
IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article:
- COP Session Discussed: The need for urgent climate action.
- Timeline of Human Civilization: Anatomically 200,000 years, modern civilization 6,000 years, industrial age from 1850.
- Greenhouse Gases as Culprits: Identified as the main disruptors of the planetary balance.
- Individual Responsibility Stressed: Shift towards a more individualistic approach for addressing climate threats.
- Extinction Threat: A European Commission study suggests a likely extinction of 27% of plants and animals by 2100.
- Environmental Impact of Modern Food Systems: Drive 90% of deforestation, 60% of biodiversity loss, and account for 70% of global freshwater use.
- Potential Emission Reduction by Going Vegan: 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from food production.
MCQs from the Article:
- What marked the conclusion of the 28th COP session in December 2023?
A. Sixth mass extinction
B. Progress in climate action
C. Individual responsibility
D. Eco-anxiety -
According to the article, what is the primary culprit for disrupting the planetary balance?
A. Multilateral processes
B. Greenhouse gases
C. Eco-anxiety
D. Individual responsibility -
What did Sultan al-Jaber’s statement at COP28 relate to?
A. Going back to the cave age
B. Fossil fuel alternatives
C. Lifestyles supported by fossil fuel
D. Climate negotiations -
What is the suggested solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production by 28%?
A. Sustainable energy alternatives
B. Global shift to vegetarianism
C. Going vegan
D. Reducing food consumption -
According to a European Commission study, what is the projected extinction rate of plants and animals by 2100?
A. 10%
B. 20%
C. 27%
D. 40%
VOCABULARY:
- Eco-anxiety (noun) (اکو اینکشائٹی): Anxiety about the ecological state of the planet.
- Delusional (adjective) (وہمی): Holding irrational beliefs or impressions.
- Capricious (adjective) (متغیر): Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
- Existential Threat (noun) (وجودی خطرہ): A threat to the existence or well-being of human beings.
- Anatomically (adverb) (جسمانی طور پر): In terms of bodily structure.
- Culprit (noun) (ملزم): A person or thing responsible for an offense or fault.
- Conundrum (noun) (پزیرائی): A confusing and difficult problem or question.
- Flak (noun) (تنقید): Strong criticism.
- Biosphere (noun) (زندگ
ی کا حلقہ): The regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms.
10. Aberration (noun) (اختلال): A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected.
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Mass extinction
BY Aisha Khan
THE end of the 28th session of the Conference of Parties in December 2023 moved the needle forward on climate action but not at the pace needed to avert the sixth mass extinction. As eco-anxiety grows and optimists try to rationalise slow progress, with the inherent constraints of multilateral processes, the clock keeps ticking, reminding us of the perils and predilections of change and the timescale for keeping life systems alive.
The conversation on climate has become so jargon filled and technical in its approach that at times it loses sight of the here and now, becoming occasionally delusional and sometimes capricious.
Anatomically, modern humans emerged around 200,000 years ago in a process of evolution from ancestral Homo sapiens dating back six million years. Civilisation as we know it started around 6,000 years back and the advent of the industrial age began in 1850.
In the span of 173 years, humans have successfully landed on the moon but degraded ecosystems and destroyed the environment on planet Earth. Today, with advancements in science and technology, life expectancy has increased, progress in communication has transformed connectivity and creature comforts have enhanced life quality beyond imagination.
A single species is destroying habitats.
Ironically, all this has come at the cost of development that has turned into an existential threat. The main culprit for disrupting planetary balance are greenhouse gases.
As we enter 2024, it is important to put some things in perspective. The blame game at negotiations has gone on for 28 years. Perhaps it is time to take more individual responsibility and combine the two to save our species. A change in perspective may also alter thinking and help in finding solutions faster.
The dilemma facing the world is not only about how to reduce carbon emissions; in fact, it is more about how to retain existing lifestyles without compromising on quality or changing consumption patterns.
At COP28 Sultan al-Jaber earned flak for his statement that was interpreted to mean that giving up fossil fuels is tantamount to going back to the cave age. Seen in a broader perspective, perhaps it suggests that no one is quite ready yet to give up on lifestyles supported by fossil fuel. This applies to people from all tiers of society, across sectors, institutions and affiliations.
The outcry every year at climate summits is on the ascendant, and disappointment outshines hope. However, the fundamental question that holds the key to the climate conundrum remains unanswered. How much are we willing as citizens and societies to give up on current consumption patterns to embrace a low-carbon-footprint lifestyle? After all, it is possible to curtail supply by reducing demand.
Data demonstrates that modern food systems drive 90 per cent of deforestation and 60pc of biodiversity loss, and account for 70pc of the world’s use of freshwater. Overall, food systems alone contribute to over one-third of global greenhouse emissions. By going vegan the global population could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production by 28pc. And yet only 1-2pc of the world population is vegan.
The list of possible individual actions is as long as the list of commitments made by nations at climate summits.
Extinction is not a new phenomenon on planet Earth. There have been five previous mass extinctions. Many researchers argue that we are in the middle of a sixth mass extinction. The common denominator in all previous extinctions was a drastic change in the carbon cycle. The Permian-Triassic Extinction that took place 250m years ago was the largest mass extinction event in Earth’s history, affecting a range of species. The loss of biodiversity ended all life.
Today, the overgrowth and transformative behaviour of a single species is destroying habitats and unleashing a crisis. A European Commission modelling study shows likely extinction of 27pc of plants and animals by 2100. This continued disruption in the biosphere poses an extinction threat to one-half of Earth’s higher life forms by the turn of the century.
From all evidence, it seems that human beings are an aberration in the evolutionary process. They show scant respect for nature, are wasteful in their use of natural resources, degrade the environment, harm biodiversity, destroy the ecosystems that support them, and kill their own species. Rich, developing and poor nations all follow the same exploitative pattern of human behaviour.
The home truth is that the battle for human survival will not be won at the negotiating tables but by solutions provided by science and technology. Evolution will not stop with Homo sapiens. We might even be taken over by other forms of life in a new world order governed by artificial intelligence.
The writer is chief executive of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change.
Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2024
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