W canot adapt ǎr we ǎt v clîṃtcrîsis, wornz līdñ sayntist
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Guardian on Wednesday 1 June 2022)
Caʈrin Hêho sz ɖ wrld z hedñ fr denjrz ppl hv nt sìn in 10,000 yirz v siṿlîześn
Fiona Harvi, Invîrnmntcorispondnt
Wnzde, 1 Jūn 2022
Ɖ wrld canot adapt its we ǎt v ɖ clîṃtcrîsis, n cǎntñ on adapteśn t limit damij z no substtyt fr rjntli cutñ grīnhǎs gasz, a līdñ clîṃtsayntist hz wornd.
Caʈrin Hêho, ćīf sayntist fr ɖ Nećr Cnsrvnsi in ɖ YS n pṛfesr at Texs Téc Yṇvrṣti, sd ɖ wrld wz hedñ fr denjrz unsìn in ɖ 10,000 yirz v hymn siṿlîześn, n eḟts t mc ɖ wrld mor rziłnt wr nīdd bt bî ɖmslvz cd nt sofn ɖ impact inuf.
“Ppl d nt unḍstand ɖ magṇtyd v ẃt z gwñ on,” ś sd. “Ɖs wl b gretr ɖn enʈñ w hv evr sìn in ɖ past. Ɖs wl b unpresdntd. Evri livñ ʈñ wl b afctd.”
Ẃl cuntriz cn start t adapt t sm v ɖ impacts, fr instns wɖ sìwōlz n fludbarịrz, n bî mcñ ɖer infṛstrucćr mor rziłnt t xtrim weɖr, f globl hītñ z alaud t cntiny ɖen ɖ wrld wl rapidli rīć a pônt bynd ẃt cn b adaptd t.
“F w cntiny wɖ biznis-az-yźl grīnhǎs-gas imiśnz, ɖr z no adapteśn ɖt z poṣbl. Y jst c’nt,” ś sd, in an inṭvy wɖ ɖ Gardịn.
Ɖz impacts wd b flt acrs ɖ wrld, ś wornd. “Ǎr infṛstrucćr, wrʈ triłnz v dolrz, bilt ovr decedz, wz bilt fr a planit ɖt no longr xists,” ś sd. Ćenjñ ɖt infṛstrucćr wd cost frɖr triłnz, so alawñ grīnhǎs-gas imiśnz t cntiny t gro wd mīn evŗîzñ impacts n costs.
Ɖ hol v modn lîf wz at stec, ś add. “Hymn siṿlîześn z best on ɖ asumśn v a stebl clîṃt,” ś sd. “Bt w r muvñ far bynd ɖ stebl renj.”
Rlịr ɖs munʈ, Stywt Crc, ɖ hed v rsponsbl invstmnt at ɖ globl banc HŚBC, md hedlînz bî sjstñ ɖt fînanśl insttyśnz śd dscǎnt ɖ riscs v ɖ clîṃtcrîsis az ɖ wrld cd adapt t its impacts. H notd ɖt Amsṭdam wz bilt on land b’lo sì levl, n sjstd ɖt eriaz clîṃtsayntists hv pridictd wd b vulnṛbl t inndeśn, sć az Mîami, cd b similrli adaptd t cǒp wɖ ɖ risc.
“Hu cerz f Mîami z six mītrz undr wōtr in 100 yirz?” h asct an invstrconfṛns. HŚBC muvd qcli t dsǒn Crc’s coments n sspnd him. HŚBC Asetmanijmnt’s ćīf xektiv, Nicolas Moreau, sd Crc’s rmarcs “d nt rflect ɖ vyz v HŚBC Asetmanijmnt nr HŚBC Grūp in eni we”, n riiṭretd ɖ banc’s cmitmnt t rīć net ziro imiśnz bî 2050.
“HŚBC rgardz clîṃtćenj az wn v ɖ most sirịs imrjnsiz fesñ ɖ planit, n z cmitd t s’portñ its custmrz in ɖer trnziśn t net ziro n a ssteṇbl fyćr.”
Hêho, hu hz bn a līd oʈr on YS naśnl clîṃt asesmnts, sd Crc’s coments sīmd t rflect an attyd ɖt wz genñ grǎnd amñ “clîṃt dsmisrz”, hu trî t miṇmîz ɖ levl v risc fṛm clîṃtćenj bî seyñ ɖ impacts wd b maniɉbl.
Hvr, ɖ wrld’z līdñ clîṃtsayntists, ɖ Inṭguvnmntl Panl on Clîṃtćenj, wornd rlịr ɖs yir ɖt cntinyd globl hītñ, bynd 1.5C abv pre-industrịl levlz, wd rīc devsteśn acrs ɖ glob, in ɖ form v fludz, drǎts, hītwevz n uɖr xtrim weɖr, wɖ sweɖz v ɖ planit bcmñ unsūṭbl fr agriculćr n ifctivli uninhabitbl, cōzñ xtrim harm t hymn ssayti in mni plesz.
Hêho sd ɖ IPCĆ fîndñz hd nt bn brōdli unḍstd bî mni ppl. “Ɖs z an unpresdntd xperimnt wɖ ɖ clîṃt,” ś sd.
“Ɖ riaḷti z ɖt w wl nt hv enʈñ left ɖt w valy, f w d nt adres ɖ clîṃtcrîsis.”
