Recent climate data published by nearly 600 leading climate scientists warns the future of our planet hangs in the balance, and that the direction it tips will depend on what governments do in the short-term. As global warming is increasing at a rate expected to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C threshold, Canada will continue to face escalating climate impacts and complex governance challenges. Issued as the Dartington Declaration, this warning underscores the urgency for us to rethink how climate science informs decision-making.
The Declaration comes at a pivotal moment in our nation's climate governance, environmental policy, and scientific research. While the declaration outlines global risks, the implications for Canada are clear, warning that the world is nearing irreversible climate tipping points and widespread ecological decline. Many of the environmental changes pose cascading effects on Canada’s environment, economy, and communities, requiring serious climate resilience and mitigation efforts. These findings emphasize how even a fraction of a degree of additional warming increases the risk of triggering further devastating tipping points.
“if we wait, it will be too late” – These scientific early-warning indicators make it clear that there is a lack of evidence-based decision-making. Canada has the capacity, the knowledge and the public will to lead, but strong climate leadership requires decisive data-informed action, before tipping points become our irreversible reality. The window for meaningful climate governance is rapidly closing according to the Declaration, making it more important than ever to hold all levels of government accountable in reaching environmental targets and commitments. The data is clear. Governance systems must incorporate tipping-point modeling, climate projects, indigenous knowledge systems, and scientific warning indicators. Our national resilience in the future truly depends on it.
By Sabrina Careri
Image credit: Mika Baumeister