10:21
By Jonathan Sawaya
2015 was spotted to be the hottest year on record. This was
revealed by World Meteorological Agency on it’s recently report.
The report shows that the global average temperature in 2015
broke all previous records by striking wide margin at 0.7±0.10C
above the 1961-1990 average.
For the first time on record temperature in 2015 were about 10Celsius
above the pre- industrial era. According to the report, fifteen of the hottest
year on record have all been this century, with 2015 being significant warmer
than the record-level temperature seen in 2014. The report underlined the
long-term trend, 2011-15 to be the warmest five-year period on record.
This is not shocking news as for most of us experienced high
temperature in 2015. There were two months which hit the records in 2015; these
months were; October and December.
For instance in Tanzania November and December experienced
high temperature and it was reported to be above average by Tanzania
Meteorological Agency (TMA). The
increase of global temperature has been observed since 19th century.
On the other side the IPCC AR5 reported the increases of the
global temperature to be caused by increased greenhouse gas emission into the
atmosphere which results from human activities causing changes of the climate
system of the world. The changes can either leads into increases of temperature
which results into above normal rainfall or below normal rainfall which has
negative impacts to ecosystem and vulnerable countries specifically the
developing countries.
There has been series of conference of parties meetings held
with intentions of parties to discuss how they can stabilize the greenhouse gas
in the atmosphere resulting from human activities to level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system under the UNFCCC.
The convention state that the level of temperature rise
should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystem to adapt
naturally to climate change and to ensure food production is not threatened and
to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
The Twenty-First session of conference of parties took place
in Paris, France from 30th November to 12th December,
2015. The conference came up with the agreement (Paris Agreement) which will starts
to be signed in 22nd April, 2016 to 21st April 2017.
Many of us we were waiting for this agreement so as we can
have a clear picture of how the agreement will cut greenhouse gas emission from
developed countries, providing Finance and technology of adapting to climate
change to the developing countries.
Unfortunately there is no a clear measure which has been put in place
for cutting of emission.
According to analytical paper which was done by ForumCC in
2016, the paper claimed that the agreement provides no legal binding way to cut
emissions. On the other side CSOs are saying that the pledge of the fund made
by developed countries is like a drop of water in the ocean. This implies that,
there is a need of adhering to the pledge they made and further to that to add
more fund for addressing the impacts of climate change.
The fifth IPCC report (AR5) which was released on 2014 shows
that human activities are the dominant cause of increasing of global warming
since the mid of 19th Century. On the other side UNEP emissions gap
report of 2014 shows that, the world has already used large part of its carbon
budget and remained with only 1000 Mt CO2 equivalent to spend in the
future. Furthermore, the initial analysis of the INDCs submitted by parties
does not have shown significant contribution to the reduction of CO2
into the atmosphere.
These make a call for developed nations to accelerate in
taking measures of reducing emission and supporting developing countries to
adapt with the changing climate. Developing countries are supposed to
continuing taking measures and mainstreaming climate change into sectorial
plans so as to reduce its vulnerability to climate change and increasing
climate resilience.
