A carbon price is needed to ensure that emitters take into account the environmental impact of carbon emissions in the decisions they make. Show Singapore implemented a carbon tax in 2019. The tax sends a transparent, fair and consistent price signal to incentivise emitters to reduce their emissions, while giving them the flexibility to act where it makes business sense. The carbon tax is levied on facilities that emit 25,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent (tCO2e) or more annually, and applies uniformly to all sectors without exemption. The tax has been set at $5/tCO2e from 2019 to 2023 as a transition period to give the industry time to adjust to its impact. The Government will review the tax rate by 2023. We intend to increase the tax rate to between $10-$15/tCO2e by 2030. In doing so, we will consider international climate change developments, the progress of our mitigation efforts, and our economic competitiveness. The Government is prepared to spend more than the expected carbon tax revenue of about $1 billion over the first five years to support projects that reduce emissions. We’re facing the biggest environmental challenge our species has ever seen. No matter what we’re passionate about, something we care about will be affected by climate change. Greater impacts in the polar regions Climate change and oceans Climate change and forests Climate change and freshwater How you can help Global warming is likely to be the greatest cause of species extinctions this century. The IPCC says a 1.5°C average rise may put 20-30% of species at risk of extinction. If the planet warms by more than 2°C, most ecosystems will struggle. Many of the world’s threatened species live in areas that will be severely affected by climate change. And climate change is happening too quickly for many species to adapt. Tiger numbers in the wild have declined to as few as 3,200, largely due to poaching and habitat loss. Climate change is likely to result in increasing sea levels and further risk of fire in the already fragmented habitats where tigers live. Warming in the Himalayas has already occurred at three times the global average. This is prime snow leopard habitat and continued warming will cause their range to shrink as the treeline moves higher up the mountains. This will not only fragment and isolate snow leopard populations, but it will severely affect their prey too.  Asian rhinosMore about Asian rhinosOrangutansMore about orangutansAfrican elephantsMore about African elephantsPolar bearsMore about polar bearsAdélie penguinsMore about Adélie penguinsAtlantic puffinsThese beautiful little birds can be seen in various locations around the UK each summer - they migrate here to breed. But as climate change causes changes to the start and end of seasons, migrating animals can find that they arrive at breeding grounds at the wrong time - before food is available, for example. And the prey that seabirds rely on to feed their chicks is moving as seas warm, as well as being overfished. All of these are adding up and causing numbers of puffins to fall sharply.
Copyright:Wim van Passel / Timeless Moments Climate change is amplified in the polar regions. The earth’s north and south extremities are crucial for regulating our planet’s climate and are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming, which has global consequences. Climate change in the ArcticAverage air temperatures in the region have increased by about 5°C over the last 100 years. Recent data shows that there’ll be almost no summer sea ice cover left in the Arctic in the next few decades. The effects won't just be felt by the habitats and species such that rely upon this area - they'll be dramatic in the entire northern hemisphere. Climate change in AntarcticaThe Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass of ice on earth, accounting for around 90% of all fresh water on the earth's surface and spanning almost 14 million sq km. This ice plays a vitally important role in influencing the world’s climate, reflecting back the sun’s energy and helping to regulate global temperatures. Parts of the west Antarctic Peninsula are among the fastest-warming places on earth. Even small-scale melting is likely to have significant effects on global sea level rise. Become a member Give to the climate crisis fund Netflix's ground-breaking documentary series Our Planet, produced in collaboration with WWF, shows the wonders of our natural world and how we’re changing it like never before. Our frozen worlds of ice and snow are vital to maintaining Earth’s equilibrium by reflecting sunlight back into space. But with climate change, our ice, snow and permafrost is melting. The dark surfaces it leaves behind absorb heat instead of reflecting it, which could tip the balance…
© Jurgen Freund / WWF-UK Oceans are vital ‘carbon sinks’, meaning that they absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide, preventing it from reaching the upper atmosphere. Increased water temperatures and higher carbon dioxide concentrations than normal, which make oceans more acidic, are already having an impact on oceans. Oceans are already experiencing large-scale changes at a warming of 1°C, with critical thresholds expected to be reached at 1.5°C and above. Coral reefs are projected to decline by a further 70-90% at 1.5°C. At a warming of 2°C virtually all coral reefs will be lost. It’s not only a tragedy for wildlife: around half a billion people rely on fish from coral reefs as their main source of protein. Become a member Give to the climate crisis fund
© Staffan Widstrand / WWF Forests are vitally important as they soak up carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, and help regulate the world’s climate. They’re also home to countless plant and animal species. We’re working with communities, local governments and businesses to ensure the world’s forests are protected. How forests are affected by climate changeImpacts vary in different kinds of forests. Sub-Arctic boreal forests are likely to be particularly badly affected, with tree lines gradually retreating north as temperatures rise. In tropical forests such as the Amazon, where there’s abundant biodiversity, even modest levels of climate change can cause high levels of extinction. Impacts of deforestationWhen large areas of forest are destroyed it’s disastrous for the local species and communities that rely on them. Dying trees emit their stores of carbon dioxide, adding to atmospheric greenhouse gases and setting us on a course for runaway global warming. Become a member Give to the climate crisis fund
Climate change is having serious impacts on the world’s water systems through more flooding and droughts. Warmer air can hold a higher water content, which makes rainfall patterns more extreme. Rivers and lakes supply drinking water for people and animals and are a vital resource for farming and industry. Freshwater environments around the world are already under excessive pressure from drainage, dredging, damming, pollution, extraction, silting and invasive species. Climate change only exacerbates the problem and makes this worse. Extremes of drought and flooding will become more common, causing displacement and conflict. In mountainous regions, melting glaciers are impacting on freshwater ecosystems. Himalayan glaciers feed great Asian rivers such as the Yangtze, Yellow, Ganges, Mekong and Indus. Over a billion people rely on these glaciers for drinking water, sanitation, agriculture and hydroelectric power. Become a member give to the climate crisis fund Our world is under threat like never before. We’re the first generation to know we’re destroying the world, but we could be the last that can do anything about it |
What is climate change doing to the environment
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 themosti Inc.
