The climate is changing, and it is changing quickly. Our planet is 1.2°C (2.2°F) hotter today than in 1908, when Henry Ford debuted the world's first mass-market automobile. Without a dramatic course correction, there is a 50-50 chance of planetary warming surpassing 1.5°C (2.7°F) in the next five years. If we reach that point, 90 percent of coral reefs could die off, extreme heat waves will become nine times more common, and sea levels will rise several feet. Historically, the conversation around climate solutions has focused on decarbonization—reducing fossil fuel use and investing in renewables. Though this is critical, it is not sufficient. Even if we transition to 100 percent clean energy, temperatures will continue to rise unless we also address our unsustainable relationship with nature.
Earth's forests, grasslands and marshes are natural climate regulators, thanks to the silent miracle of photosynthesis. But when we degrade that land—through deforestation, over-grazing and over-farming—we release the carbon stored in those ecosystems, while reducing their capacity to store future emissions. Already, we have converted 50 percent of all nature to agricultural land, cities, and roads. This is deeply concerning, as intact nature absorbs 25 percent of our carbon emissions from fossil fuel use—that number is falling every year as nature is further degraded. Unsustainable land use and agriculture is the source of approximately one-quarter of all greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Human-managed lands could be a powerful tool for mitigating the climate crisis; instead, they are accelerating it...
https://time.com/6215338/cant-have-a-stable-climate-if-we-keep-destroying-nature/
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