Conclusion
The report recommends making cities pollution-free, resilient and accessible spaces with expansive vegetation. Key strategies include better urban planning, community-based disaster risk management and improved access to climate information for older populations.
Earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a new resolution to develop an “international legally binding instrument on the human rights of older persons,” a possible path to add safety to those most exposed to climate change.
Zombie microbes
Beyond the risks to older persons, the report also warns of ancient microbes awakening. Should global temperatures rise more than 2˚C above pre-industrial levels, this would significantly reduce the cryosphere in mass, which includes glaciers, seasonal snow, ice sheets and shelves, sea ice, seasonally frozen ground and permafrost.
Cryospheric regions are home to 670 million people as well as to billions more who live in areas with water originating from those frozen areas.
Dormant fungi, bacteria and viruses in these frozen regions could reactivate, raising the risk of antimicrobial resistance.
To slow down the decline of the cryosphere, the Frontiers 2025 Report recommends cutting greenhouse gas emissions―including black carbon emissions from diesel engines, open-field agricultural burning, and wildfires―and limiting tourism in fragile frozen regions.
The report also recommends accelerating scientific research into the diversity of cryospheric microorganisms that will not survive the cryosphere’s decline.
Return of banned chemicals
The report also identifies risks from the remobilization of chemicals that were banned and phased-out decades ago. Floods can bring such chemicals to the surface, after having accumulated in sediment over centuries.
As floodwaters stir up sediment and debris, toxic chemicals may be released and re-enter urban areas or food systems.
The report lists effective measures to reduce this growing risk: traditional control measures like polders, dikes and retention basins, improved drainage systems, nature-based solutions (e.g., sponge-city approaches), regular monitoring of pollutants in diverse locations and products, and economic impact studies about this type of pollution.
Risk of aging dams
Another emerging threat the Frontiers 2025 Report addresses is the risk of aging dams. Alongside many benefits, dams can harm indigenous and fishing-dependent communities, as well as degrade ecosystems.
Removal of large, older dams that have become unsafe, obsolete or economically unviable is increasingly happening in Europe and North America.
The report highlights potential benefits of the removal of dams and barriers in restoring natural river connectivity for biodiversity and ecosystems. Reversing river fragmentation and restoring natural processes support the implementation of the UN’s principles for ecosystem-restoration initiatives. UNEP News
