Mission
The bottom line mission is simple: survival - by acting now to prevent global and regional climate and ocean catastrophes leading to total planet catstrophe.
The climate and oceans (climate system) emergency applies to billions of the most vulnerable in the immediate to short term (the global climate change impacts global mismatch, to the lifetimes of all children in all regions and to all future generations of humanity and all other species. This is why emergency action must be taken now.
The emergency applies to all of us today because of committed or already locked in global climate change which is much greater than today's. Crop yields of the most vulnerable regions will decline due to locked in climate change and are very likely to decline even in the less vulnerable temperate regions. Emergency mitigation measures must be taken now to protect the food security of the most vulnerable and world food security. The IPCC AR4 found world food security to be at risk from a global warming of 1.5C. The IPCC AR5 found it at 1.0C.
Another reason for today's global climate emergency is the zero tolerance risk of locking the future of humanity and life in to so called climate change 'runaway' due to triggering multiple enormous sources of amplifying feedbacks. A sudden increase in feedback emissions could cause an abrupt global heating any time from now- it has happened before. So the emergency applies to all of us and now.
We are fixed on the worst future imaginable- when changing course now leads to the best future ever imagined.
The evidence is now clear and overwhelming.
The lives and livelihoods of billions are threatened by already committed global climate change, and there is not even a plan to respond.
Our world is far beyond dangerous interference with the climate system (1992 UN convention), in a state of worldwide emergency, and at an unprecedented risk of planetary catastrophe.
Acknowledgement of this is the first essential requirement in order to formulate the truly necessary levels of mitigation, adaptation and survival-based responses.
Given today's committed global average temperature increase, the imminent meltdown of the Arctic summer sea ice, increasing water scarcity, and the severe threats to food security, population health and security the world over, there is no time to spare.
The climate crisis demands compassion and respect for the basic human rights of the huge populations of the most climate change vulnerable with respect to their health, livelihood and survival. But the governments of rich, industrialized nations have not only refused to respect these rights, they have failed to inform and protect even their own citizens.
What is not recognized is that the climate crisis has accelerated and deteriorated at such a rapid pace that all people living in all regions are NOW at risk of disastrous climate change impacts due to the amount of future global heating "commitment" in the climate system that has already been assured.
Without emergency action, climate change devastation will inundate most regions of the planet and threaten the survival of most life.
This is the greatest threat ever to humanity, and most future life. At some point, global leaders through the United Nations will have to acknowledge that the world is in a catastrophically dangerous climate and oceans crisis and declare a global planetary emergency.
CEI exists to help make this happen as soon as possible, before it is too late.
Our focus
Emergency prevention, mitigation of, and preparedness for, global climate change catastrophes.
These are:
Human population catastrophe
• loss of access to water
• crop failures and loss of food security
• loss of health and access to health care
• loss of public services
- conflict over decling natural resources
Environmental catastrophe
• loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems
• species extinctions
• less resilient ecosystems
• exacerbation of ongoing environmental degradation, such as deforestation, habitat loss (now mainly due to human encroachment), desertification, air and water pollution.
• ocean collapse from ocean heating acidifcation and deoxygenation
Planetary catastrophe
• runaway global warming from multiple Arctic climate system +ve (i.e.. bad amplifying) feedbacks
• irreversible meltdown of the Arctic summer sea ice
• irreversible thawing of permafrost releasing vast amounts of methane (also CO2 and nitrous oxide)
• irreversible destabilization of sub-sea floor methane hydrates
• irreversible destabilization of Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets
• die back of the Amazon rain-forests
• alteration of deep ocean currents from melting Arctic sea ice and melting Arctic land ice
• collapse of marine ecosystems from ocean warming, ocean acidification, and changes in ocean circulation
Our humanitarian / educational mission is to:
• research and collect the published evidence of the global climate planetary emergency
• research and collect the published evidence that details how most regions of our world are now committed to multiple, ongoing disasters and catastrophic impacts from global warming and climate change. It has been known for decades that billions of the most vulnerable would suffer devastating impacts, and so this has been a global emergency for these huge populations for a long time. We focus on these populations.
• research and collect the published evidence that the committed warming and acidification of the oceans is a planetary emergency
• publish blog posts, articles and papers that expose the emergency
• educate all leaders and sectors of society about the emergency
• advocate for the human rights of those populations who are the least culpable for, the most vulnerable to, and the first and hardest hit first by multiple devastating climate change impacts
• advocate for the rights of all future generations of humanity and all life, and to recommend, urge, demand the implementation of emergency measures to ensure / maximize survival
Our specific aims:
• break through the general denial of the dangers and inevitable disastrous impacts of global warming and climate change
• achieve a breakthrough in the stalled international negotiations and decision-making processes that should be dealing with global climate and ocean change on an emergency basis
• write annually to heads of state and other leaders explaining the global climate and oceans emergency
• carry out a global human rights campaign to present the Global Climate and Oceans Change Emergency Statement to all levels of government in all nations, and to seek endorsement of the Statement by all levels of government in all nations
• seek endorsement for (a) the cancellation of all subsidies to greenhouse gas emitting industries and activities, and (b) the re-application of these subsidies to zero-carbon industries and activities, and also change large GHG poluters the full costs.
• develop a similar campaign for the endorsement of a specific and uncompromising emergency plan for the survival of civilization / humanity
Call to action
Given the threats to the most basic human rights, health, security and survival of huge populations of the most climate change vulnerable people and species RIGHT NOW, and to all future generations of all life, CEI calls on national leaders, leading institutions, and leaders of civil society to make public and formal statements that confirm that the world has reached a state of dangerous, planetary climate change emergency.
Note: The Climate Emergency Institute's position statement has been sent annually to national academies and associations of science, to leading global climate change scientists, and to international non-governmental organizations for their endorsement and support.
