Milja Vanhala from Kotka says she has been a vegetarian for the past seven years. He is also ready to, among other things, reduce electricity consumption and buying things.
The difficulty of achieving the climate goals worries students from Kotka.
– It is really sad that the situation has come to this, says Vanhala.
Yle asked young adults from Kotka about their views on climate change at the time of the UN’s international climate negotiations. Climate negotiations are currently underway in Egypt.
The most important goal of the climate meeting is to keep the 1.5 degree target recorded in the Paris climate agreement achievable. If the Earth’s average temperature rises higher than this, it means greater risks for people, ecosystems and ecosystems.
For example, the number of extreme heat increases, droughts become more common, insect damage accelerates and crop yields decrease.
Researchers consider staying on target increasingly unlikely. The scientific community estimates that, despite the emission reductions promised by the states, the climate will warm by about 2.6 degrees as we enter the 21st century.
Sea level rise is a concern
– Penguins are dying. It doesn’t affect me, says Saario.
He says he was working on a ship.
– Ships are a waste of natural resources. Yes, you always have to think about it from time to time, says Saario.
Miia Rekilä says she is particularly worried about the melting of glaciers and the rise of sea levels.
– The city of Kotka will be submerged pretty quickly if the sea level rises. The effect of drought and heat on plants and animals is also a concern, Rekilä says.
The last eight years have all been the hottest in the world’s recorded climate history. Temperatures in Europe have risen more than twice the world average in the last 30 years.
Readiness reduces consumption
According to Yle’s survey, more than eighty percent of Finns are worried about climate change or the loss of nature.
The majority of Finns also say that they are aware of the effects of their consumption on the environment.
Milja Vanhala says that she has been a vegetarian for the past seven years.
– I also try not to spend so much, Vanhala says.
He says that he is ready to, among other things, reduce electricity consumption and buying things.
– If only the prices could be made more student-friendly, I would be ready to switch to more responsibly produced food, he says.