Climate Change in Polar Regions Pose Security and Health Risk- UNEP GEO-4 Report Calls for Urgent Action to Address Climate Change
In an urgent call to action, UN Under Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, warns that unless the issue of climate change is given global priority, the international community faces some tough challenges ahead. To date, the global response has been “woefully inadequate” and shows “a remarkable lack of urgency.”
The latest release of the Global Environmental Outlook assessment reports, GEO-4, by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights the importance of mainstreaming environmental concerns into socio-economic sectors and recommends moving environment from the periphery to the core of decision-making. This transformation is necessary if countries are serious about tackling climate change in a proactive and concerted manner.
The warning comes from an extensive document prepared by almost 390 experts and reviewed by over 1000 others worldwide. It assesses the state of the atmosphere, land, water and biodiversity and has identified priorities for action. It is the most comprehensive report of its kind and includes all 7 regions of the globe. It is the first report where all global regions have identified climate change as a major priority.
The Polar region section was compiled by 10-15 contributors worldwide, encompassing perspectives from a range of geographical regions resulting in a significant consideration of global linkages in terms of environmental change.
· Increasing mercury and persistent organic pollutants in the environment;
· Ozone layer degradation.
These developments have increased the risk to the indigenous people’s health and food security.