How Net Zero Could Be Our Climate Hero

Net zero will limit the global warming which if not prevented, may lead to extreme weather conditions and catastropic sea level rise making parts of our planet inhabitable and fuelling hunger and migration. Net zero will help restore the balance between species sustainable existence and economic growth among nations.

During year 2005, I took my very first flight and landed on this small city in the Middle East, Dubai. Today, when you hear Dubai, you think of all the tall skyscrapers nearly reaching the clouds, the luxury and of course the tourist spots. That was not the Dubai that I landed on. It was a scorching summer night as if the sun is still up and this has fascinated me.

Growing up, the climate was so different from what I am accustomed with. UAE generally has a sub-tropical, arid climate which receives precipitation once a year. During winter, temperature drops to 5C and remains at 10C towards summer. The extreme climate however, provided us balance when it comes to our lifestyle, growing our food, and most importantly the wildlife.

Migratory birds flock into the country during spring and some wildlife reproduces or hibernate during winter. The rain that comes once a year provide enough for the plants to survive until next year. These are delicate balance in the ecosystem in a harsh environment of the desert.

Recently, we experience rain that lasts for three days! People celebrate for a day of rain but three days? We were thanking the heavens. After a few years, these rains were getting stronger to a point that it started flooding our cities. Although UAE infrastructure is one of the best in the world, it’s not made for this kind of weather. Besides, the water can’t go anywhere as we are made on top of sand.

The desert plants could not take that much water, they drown and die.

You might be unaware on how connected our planet is. Did you know that Saharan dust feeds the Amazon forest’s plants? A swarm of dust helps generate our oxygen and if it starts precipitating year round in the desert, these sand would not be able to travel to the Amazon forest. The littlest thing can make the biggest difference.

The point is, this is not unique to UAE. Climate change is changing our planet but we have to remember one thing, the Earth will survive but probably without us humans. Changing our lifestyle is vital for our survival but our lifestyle itself is not. The emission that we produce to keep up with our lifestyle is at an unsustainable levels and would continue to increase as our demands rise. However, zero emission is impossible so our best effort is to avoid unnecessary emissions and this effort is called ‘Net Zero’.

Let’s all work towards this goal. Just like our plant, we are strongly interconnected. Just like the dust, one dust might be insignificant but a swarm can completely change the delicate ecosystem.