The climate emergency: a reality that everyone must take into account

Global warming, more commonly known as climate change, has both natural and human-induced causes. For several decades, scientific data has consistently shown that the Earth’s average temperature has risen significantly as a result of the growing accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. In its latest reports, the IPCC confirms that this rise is primarily linked to carbon and methane emissions from energy production, industrial consumption, and human activities in general.

Around the world, the consequences are already evident: accelerated melting of polar ice, rising sea levels, an increase in extreme weather events, and more intense heat waves. These impacts affect natural ecosystems as well as national economies, water resources, and urban life.

Organizations, as well as numerous universities and public institutions, are warning of the need to limit global warming to well below the critical thresholds identified in the Paris Agreement. In terms of climate policy, France and other signatory countries have committed to reducing their emissions over a specified period, while developing strategies to adapt to the changes already underway.

The tension between a progressive vision of modernity and its overall ecological cost appears increasingly unsustainable. The concept of planetary boundaries now requires us to fundamentally rethink our patterns of production and consumption in order to preserve the Earth for future generations.