UN gives dire warning about irreversible effects of global climate change

James Westman Senior Reporter

Humanity’s window of opportunity to ensure a livable and sustainable future is rapidly closing, the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced.

“The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years,” the IPCC said in its synthesis report released March 20. Further increases in global warming mean it’s more likely that we could trigger abrupt and even irreversible changes in the global climate system, the report said.

“As warming levels increase, so do the risks of species extinction or irreversible loss of biodiversity in ecosystems including forests, coral reefs and in Arctic regions,” the report said.

Nearly half of the cumulative carbon dioxide emissions occurred in a little more than one century, between 1900 and 2019, the report said.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in 2019 were higher than at any time in at least two million years, according to the report.

The IPCC synthesis report is the final part of the sixth assessment report. It brought together three working groups which studied the physical science basis, mitigation of climate change, as well as impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.

The next assessment report is unlikely to conclude before 2030, according to a UN blog post.

This means it may be the last report before the planet reaches an average global temperature rise of 1.5 C, a threshold many countries have pledged not to cross.

The 2015 Paris agreement stated the overarching goal is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels, and try to limit temperature increase to 1.5 C.

The report said there is a 50 per cent chance the room for limiting warming below 1.5 C would almost be exhausted between 2020 and 2030, if annual carbon emissions stay on average the same at the 2019 levels.

The report also said future emissions from fossil fuel infrastructure currently in place already exceed the remaining budget to keep temperature increase under 1.5 C, if no changes are made.

The report said for any future warming levels, many climate-related risks are higher in the current assessment than when studied in the fifth report, released nearly a decade ago in 2014.

The projections for long-terms impacts are multiple times higher than current observations, the report said.

“Climatic and non-climatic risks will increasingly interact, creating compound and cascading risks that are more complex and difficult to manage,” the report said.

He said the goal of the student recruitment office is to become the first point-of-contact with students coming directly from high school.

“If you remember back to your time in high school, if there were a bunch of people in your gym at individual tables,” he said. “That was me.”

Vanderburgt said he visits an average of 150 high schools per year. Additionally, he holds oneon-one meetings with students to help them with their pre-enrollment questions.

He is an expert in helping students from high school successfully transition into post-secondary programs, both university and college degrees, diplomas, or certificates.

His knowledge is vast, and he has valuable advice from to his experience over the past eight years dealing with thousands of students.

1. Change is difficult, so

“Finding out that you don’t like something at 17, 18, 19, is more valuable than you know,” Vanderburgt said.

He said many high school students are stressed and worried the program they choose to pursue will not be the right fit.

Further, students are worried about disappointing their families and wasting the money that goes into their studies, Vanderburgt said.

“Don’t be discouraged. Finish the semester if you’re in one, get the transfer credits and take the time to figure out what you like and don’t like,” he said.

Vanderburgt said many high school students going directly into post-secondary education grew up studying and preparing for university or college.

Many of them don’t get to experience enough to find out what they like, or even what they’re good at. Most of all, he said life happens and things change.

“Students and parents are so nervous about failure, or trying something and failing, that they just choose not to try at all,” Vanderburgt said. “Start small, earn credentials that you can use towards getting a job.”

2. Take a campus tour

“One of the ways I think a student can know a program is right for them is by taking a campus tour,” Vanderburgt said.

He said any program can be great, but sometimes, the community and the environment that students are in makes a big difference.

Making sure that the campus, their services, and the surrounding community is the right fit, is important to consider as well.

Vanderburgt said visiting the campus and attending open houses in-person is also helpful.

3. Get involved with something other than your classes

Vanderburgt said getting out of your comfort zone is important during the transition from high school to post-secondary. He said students should join clubs, get an on-campus job, or joining a varsity or intramural sports team to play a sport they love.

“By getting involved, it statistically improves an individual’s grades, and their attendance and likelihood to finish their program,” Vanderburgt said.

The Center for the Study of Student Life at The Ohio State University conducted a research study about the impacts of students being involved in co-curricular activities outside of their classes.

Students who were highly involved in co-curricular activities on campus were 18 per cent more career-ready and three times more likely to be considered by future employers compared to uninvolved students.

“College student involvement is positively related to academic performance, cognitive development, well-being, leadership and multicultural awareness,” the study stated.

Vanderburgt said finding friends outside of your program and finding like-minded people is a great way to improve your life in ways that you wouldn’t expect.

Humber College gives out almost $7 million in the form of scholarships, bursaries, and awards, Vanderburgt said.

But many, if not all, Canadian universities offer a vast amount of money and opportunities for students looking to apply for funding.

“A significant amount goes unclaimed. I hear this from other schools as well,” he said. “It’s really unfortunate because these amounts don’t carry over.”

Vanderburgt said scholarship applications can also be submitted online, outside of university/college institutions, on websites like yconic.com or scholarships.com.

He said students should apply for any and all scholarships, even if they don’t meet all the requirements.

“If no one applies, they will give it to the next best applicant, the one who applied,” Vanderburgt said.

While the future is unknown and change is scary, student recruiters like Vanderburgt are there to help make transitions easier and less intimidating.