2015, Number 2
MEDICC Review 2015; 17 (2)
Facing down climate change: now or never
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Language: English
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It is ironic that MEDICC Review's theme issue on environment, climate change and health goes to press in April, one of the hottest on record in Cuba. Sunday, April 26 was one of the hottest days in the past five decades—and this in what is usually considered one of the country's cooler months, with summer officially beginning in June. If this is April, Cubans are saying, what will happen in July?!April is also, of course, the month we celebrate Earth Day, which acquires particular relevance this year, when world governments must decide on new sustainable development goals and create a framework to ensure financial support for a global sustainable development agenda. In her Earth Day remarks, Mary Robinson—former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, now UN Special Envoy on Climate Change—said that 2015 is a critical year, one in which greenhouse emissions must stay "within budget" to avoid mean temperatures rising 2 °C above preindustrial levels. She emphasized the concept of climate justice, meaning an equitable sharing of the benefits and burdens of preventing climate change and mitigating its impacts. Particularly, wealthier countries whose growth has depended mainly on fossil fuels must move quickly to a sustainable development model, while committing resources to help middle- and low-income countries transition to zero-carbon development.
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