Climate change impacts generate loss and damage, globally creating crises for society, human health and development, says a new report released on Wednesday. Disclosing comprehensive new data on the impact of climate change, the report also highlighted the asymmetric consequences for society which deepen global inequalities with poorer and more vulnerable nations the hardest hit. The flagship report titled “Climate Vulnerability Monitor, 3rd edition: A Planet on Fire”, commissioned by the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of Finance of the CVF presented the stark proof. Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Board of Global Center on Adaptation and 8th UN secretary-general said with this third edition “CVM” we see clearly just how much humanity finds itself at the crossroads. "Sadly, we have become a “Planet on Fire”, as the report’s title highlights. If we do not act now, by the end of the century, millions of lives would be lost every single year because of scorching heat," he said. Read more: Bangladesh a key player in fight against climate change, says British envoy Prof. Dr. Patrick V. Verkooijen, CEO of Global Center on Adaptation said this report reaffirms that the impact of climate change is asymmetric, particularly today, particularly with respect to health, jobs, food and development for poor and vulnerable communities in developing countries. "The shocking finding of this global assessment is that some of the world’s richest and most powerful economies will also see their economic growth compromised throughout the 21st century, not just lowering incomes but also increasing inflation and interest rates. It is now crystal clear that every economy, every government, and every community must take action to analyse, monitor and respond to these risks.” Prof. Dr. Saleemul Huq, Chair of the CVF Expert Advisory Group said the Climate Vulnerability Monitor provides them with the anatomy of the loss and damage the world now lives with because of decades of insufficient climate inaction by rich, powerful and responsible countries. The detailed impact data and evidence presented by the CVM3 provides sobering reading on just how bad the situation already is, and how much worse it will become with fast rising global health risks, extreme heat events, and economic shocks, to name a few, he said. "Loss and damage has become the biggest risk to global prosperity in the present age. The international community must act and support those worst affected and least responsible with funding and solutions. COP27 must make good on this agenda," Huq added. The CVM3’s full online data set with global coverage at national level portal will be released via a dedicated portal on 10 November 2022 at UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The third edition of the Climate Vulnerability Monitor (CVM3), a research program into the impact of climate change publicly released today, is the product of a multi-year research program involving a multi-organization science consortium led by the Global Center on Adaptation, Climate Analytics, the Lancet Countdown and finres, as well as 14 regional partner organizations. The Monitor consolidates the latest research from the scientific literature on the attribution of climate change in 32 distinct indicators of socio-economic and environmental change and impact phenomena. Read more: UN, ADB to support Bangladesh's fight against climate change The Monitor projects and compares how, for a wide range of countries, these impacts evolve throughout the 21st century under a climate and socio-economic scenario that limits warming to 1.5°C, versus a below 2°C scenario, and a high emissions scenario without climate action to reduce emissions or mobilize additional adaptation efforts. The CVM3 findings illustrate the significant extent to which limiting warming to 1.5ºC could contain otherwise enormous losses and damage for the world this century. The CVM3 and its scenarios and modeling are informed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest Sixth Assessment Report. The 32 individual climate impact indicators for the time periods of 2030, 2050 and 2090, are as follows: 19 indicators of the impact of climate change in biophysical terms including temperature changes, drought, precipitation and runoff/discharge, windspeed, soil moisture and crop yields. 10 indicators of the impact of climate change on human health, including through infectious disease and exposure to risks like heat, wildfires and food insecurity. 3 indicators of the economic impact of climate change on GDP per capita growth, inflation and interest rates. Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and V20 chairman said climate-fueled risks have driven up the cost of capital and debt to unsustainable levels, especially across climate vulnerable economies, worsening already horrific financial protection gaps. "Such measures can lower the impact of climate change, make vulnerable country economies more resilient, safeguard sustainable development, and protect the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people.” Key findings of the CVM3 report include that: Annual global heat deaths among vulnerable groups could reach 3.35 million by end of century if insufficient climate action is taken: 91% of the increase in heat deaths could be avoided if global warming is limited to 1.5ºC As much as over 10% of economic growth lost every single year in the long-term for key world regions: Africa, Asia, Europe Fast-growing cumulative economic losses are already lowering incomes worldwide and raising inflation and interest rates across all regions in a negative impact that would more than double if warming exceeded 1.5ºC and reached 2ºC 20-year extreme drought events will increase 4-8 fold during the decade ahead (at 1.5°C) and 8-12 times under a below 2.0°C scenario Extreme wildfire risk to increase by 8.5% in the coming decade (at 1.5ºC) and to triple by end-of-century under a no climate action scenario Decreases in staple crop yields could reach 30-40% by end of century, but could be reduced to 5-10% if global warming is limited to 1.5ºC Henry Kokofu, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency and Special Envoy of the CVF Presidency of Ghana said the vulnerable nations have been working all year towards a decisive outcome from COP27 on loss and damage. "With this landmark CVM3 report, we are reminded of the scale and breadth of the climate calamities being visited upon poorer and vulnerable nations that lack responsibility for the climate crisis. I hope all delegations to COP27 will study the findings of the CVM3 and that the rich, powerful and responsible nations will be convinced to extend necessary support for addressing the stark injustice of loss and damage.”  

The Japanese have greatly impacted the world with their distinctive culture for many years. Their entertainment, food, history have gotten the attention of many neighbouring countries and even regions in the west. Despite having so many unique attributes to their heritage, few can compete with Ikigai in terms of depth and meaning. More of a concept than a discipline, Ikigai has been regarded by many as an ideology that has resulted in the nation’s long life expectancy. Let us see if Ikigai, the Japanese secret to a long healthy life, is truly a solution that the world has overlooked. What Is Ikigai? Ikigai is an ideology of sorts that prioritizes finding your purpose and value in life. It’s pretty existential but holds moral integrity in high regard. There are four main “pillars” that everything in the Ikigai is based on: - what are you good at; - what the world needs; - what you love; and - what you can be paid for. In Japanese culture, work and putting in long hours are some of the most important things one can do with his or her life. Therefore, Ikigai is a mental framework that gives the average person motivation to continue every day with an objective in mind. This could either mean applying the Ikigai in the context of work, or even as a wholesome frame of mind to centre one’s self outside of the working environment. Ikigai isn’t a framework that was created as far back as the feudal ages; in fact, the term was coined by Akihiro Hasegawa, a psychologist and professor at Toyo Eiwa University. “Iki” means life in Japanese and “Gai” means something that is deemed valuable. The ideology has seen a basic rendition of its framework in novels dating back to the 60s, but it is truly more relevant now than ever. Read Law of Attraction: Ways to Manifest Your Dreams Why Is Ikigai Popular? Ikigai may have a relatively simple structure, but it’s simplicity makes it easier to navigate around life when one is overloaded with stress, anxiety or purposelessness. Looking at what you love and what you are good at specifically, these two pillars are all about self-improvement and reflection in order to know which steps to take. It is a gateway to a more optimistic mindset that can take the form of exercise, being with nature, having gratitude, and being able to come to terms with the imperfections in life. Ikigai has been often correlated with the older generations in Japan and has often been correlated with the population’s long life span. As the nation has recently been faced with underwhelming retirement pensions, more have opted to prolong their employment period, which is where Ikigai comes in. What you can do for the world and what you can be paid for are the more practical of the two pillars that are less prone to subjective interpretation, where any citizen can decide where they would like their career to go and how they can find meaning to it. Although working life may not be the most common way to apply Ikigai, it is still useful to consider as many Japanese spend the majority of their lives working. Finding purpose within and without a career is where the true balance ultimately comes in as many who do eventually retire craft the will and even a sense of urgency to start a new chapter of their lives - whether that could be with a new profession or a hobby that involves loved ones. Many are at the mercy of their worries when approaching the late stages of their career and even retirement as the future is open-ended and unknown. Ikigai helps to visualise the future as a canvas that can be painted by your dreams and goals, without an end in mind. This does explain why many Japanese in their 80s are still achieving impressive goals while preserving an optimistic mindset. Read Types of Meditation: Which One is Right for You