IS CLIMATE CHANGE REVERSIBLE?

Since the increase in industrialization all over the planet, the climate has become a very serious subject.  In Africa and Nigeria, oil exploitation has caused irreparable environmental damage.  This has not improved with population growth.  And more than having to worry about the climate, we must take into account the global degradation of the environment.  In Lagos, user plastics are ubiquitous; in streets, ditches, parks, and even the ocean.  Port Harcourt is increasingly facing a cloud of toxic smoke.  The heat is increasing, and in the North, the forests are shrinking and the desert is advancing.

All of these leads us to wonder if it is still possible to envisage a future without a disastrous ecological situation.  Is climate change reversible?  If yes, how do we achieve it?  If not, how can we at least deal with it to prevent the situation from getting worse?

Despite the warnings of climatologists announcing global warming of the planet, our behaviour seems to be changing too slowly to reverse the trend.  For scientists, the danger would be to reach a tipping point that will cause global runaway.  At that time, despite all efforts, the climate will heat up irreversibly.  Indeed, phenomena such as the melting of permafrost or the carbon saturation of forests and oceans will in turn accelerate global warming uncontrollably.  We are talking about climate change.

The question that plagues climatologists is, when will we reach this point?   And can we avoid it?   According to the researchers, an increase of 2°C compared to the pre-industrial era – a limit set by the Paris Agreements – could be a tipping point.  This means that even by completely stopping our greenhouse gas emissions, these natural feedbacks will still accentuate the warming of our planet.

To assess these hypotheses, climatologists based themselves on existing studies, analyzing the phenomena that could lead to a tipping point.  Climate change during geological periods during which the atmospheric CO2 content was roughly the same as today is also a valuable source of information for researchers.

While it is difficult to predict exactly when the climate will warm uncontrollably, for climate experts it is more important than ever to assess these scenarios and take action to limit warming.  Governments must act in this direction.

So the good news is that we are still at a stage where the climate and the planet as we know it can still be saved.  The bad news is that words don't follow deeds, and governments and businesses have yet to take concrete action to slow environmental degradation.  All the same, every citizen at the various levels should commit to reducing their climate footprint.  Because inaction is just as dangerous as working against positive climate action.