Unpredictable weather patterns across the globe have become a centre of concern among environmentalists and members of the public.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the world, a number of environmental groups have shown resilience and continue to encourage the implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation. Youth involvement in climate actions cannot be underrated.
The current lockdowns worldwide, have presented avenues for new modes of climate action. This has seen climate activists launching virtual campaigns in spite of a global pandemic.
Gone are the days when participants used to wait for invitations to attend Global Climate Conferences in foreign lands. Professionals and seasoned players in the environmental sector were amongst the first to embrace the world of virtual conferences.
Therefore, the shadow picture of a global disaster has given birth to innovative minds. The conversations, debates and awareness campaigns being held via online platforms have ignited environmental cohesion among climate change activists.
Twitter campaigns have been vibrant in heralding climate change awareness. Momentum that has been gathered, is starting to yield more results toward the environmental sustainability.
Climate Reality posted on its microblogging twitter account about the effects of heat waves and veld fires in the Arctic.
@Climate Reality “Why it’s so damn hot in the Actic right now? Siberia’s three-digit heat wave and wildfires are a glimpse into the future of the Arctic.”
Concurrently, Earth Day Network raised a flag on the sudden increase of temperatures in polar regions. Geographically, polar regions are known for extreme cold temperatures due to their distance away from the equator where there is limited intensity of the sun’s rays.
Climate Change has broken all the usual weather patterns at the polar regions including drastic shifts from extreme cooler conditions to unprecedented hot patterns.
The opposite has started to transpire at the Congo Basin as the rain forest is reportedly suffering from climate change. Naturally the Congo rainforest is known for torrential rain weather patterns all year round due to the existence of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). However, current trends taking shape at the equatorial region are affecting the vitality of the rainforest.
These climate change updates frequently posted on different online social media platforms, are a testimony on how individuals now view climate reality. An increased number of stakeholders are taking to social media platforms to spread the message on climate change.
African youths in the fight against climate change have played a significant role in raising awareness on climate issues during the current lockdown periods. In an interview with Jean Mhandu, Africa’s Regional Director for Earth Day Network said he has managed to gather momentum on climate change awareness despite COVID-19 setbacks. He sees the relevance of digital platforms in enhancing climate ambitions.
“To ensure everything does not completely stop, especially our efforts to combat climate change, which will likely to impose such pandemics or worse in the near future, we have taken action to educate most people through social media platforms.”
“We are conducting several Webinars on many environmental topics including climate change and COVID-19, learning about global action to combat climate change.”
The ongoing virtual campaigns can be viewed as a stepping stone towards climate actions.
Increased climate action across the globe will possibly push countries under Paris Agreement on Climate Change to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Climate pledges will see nations working round the clock on global emissions reduction through mitigation.
As the number of individuals who become connected to internet across the world increases, there is a greater potential of reaching out to billions of people in order to raise awareness on both climate mitigation and adaptation.
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