Responding to today’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Islamic Relief launches another call for bold and urgent action to avoid climate catastrophe.
“Our worst fears are now reality as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms the threat of climate change is already a reality,” says Shahin Ashraf, our Head of Global Advocacy.
“The world is being set alight. We are experiencing one climate disaster after another, including floods in Germany; flash flooding in Sudan; devastating fires in southern Europe and Turkey; and countries such as Madagascar, Afghanistan, Somalia and Ethiopia on the brink of famine.”
Global warming is driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases. We are experiencing wide-scale devastation even with the current rise in temperature. Large-scale shifts in weather patterns induced by climate change are fuelling hunger and uprooting millions of people from their homes..
The science overwhelmingly shows that the impacts of global warming are hitting the world’s poorest communities the hardest, but no community is unaffected.
“The IPCC report is spelling out ‘disaster’, and it’s a wakeup call for us all. Countless already vulnerable communities are already suffering – Islamic Relief sees the consequences first-hand. We are doing all we can to help, but people are dying because of a lack of action to tackle climate change.
“The threat of climate change is real; its dangers are unfolding as we speak, and catastrophe lies ahead if the world continues to fail to act.”
The UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said the report was a “code red for humanity” but it is still possible to avert climate catastrophe – if world leaders act swiftly and boldly.
“Now more than ever we urge world leaders to do the right thing and act fast to reduce the damage already done,” adds Shahin Ashraf, pointing out that we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45-50% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.
For years, Islamic Relief has campaigned for action to tackle climate change and supports communities on the frontline of the climate crisis. With your support, we can do more: please donate now.