# Shameem Kazmi --- ## Pages - [When The Ocean Forgets](https://shameemk.com/when-the-ocean-forgets/): Explores the science of ocean memory and how Earth's most vital system is losing its ability to stabilise our world. - [Media Hub](https://shameemk.com/media-hub/): Gain expert perspectives on climate change, sustainability, and global challenges through articles and thought leadership from Shameem Kazmi. - [Contact me](https://shameemk.com/contact-me/): Connect with Shameem Kazmi through our London office. Email or visit us to discuss your inquiries and needs. - [Portfolio](https://shameemk.com/my-work/): Shameem Kazmi is a scientific advisor, non-executive director, and author focused on climate action, innovation and sustainability. - [Home](https://shameemk.com/about-me/): Uncover the vision of Shameem Kazmi, an award-winning leader dedicated to environmental and social responsibility in business and communities. --- ## Posts - [The hidden climate cost of Christmas chocolate](https://shameemk.com/the-hidden-climate-cost-of-christmas-chocolate/): Chocolate is a Christmas staple, but cocoa is under climate strain. Explore how climate change, deforestation and inequality threaten chocolate. - [Oranges are failing under climate stress](https://shameemk.com/oranges-are-failing-under-climate-stress/): Climate change is delaying orange harvests and intensifying disease pressure, quietly undermining citrus yields, quality and long-term reliability. - [Wheat was built for a climate that no longer exists](https://shameemk.com/wheat-was-built-for-a-climate-that-no-longer-exists/): Climate change is pushing wheat beyond its limits, as heat and drought threaten the crop that underpins global food security. - [Earth Day 2025: Congo’s deadly rains every two years signals a global wake-up call](https://shameemk.com/congo-floods-climate-crisis/): Explore how Congo's deadly rains every 2 years highlight the global climate change divide and its severe impact on communities. - [Global Waste and Packaging: The system we built is breaking](https://shameemk.com/global-waste-and-packaging-the-system-we-built-is-breaking/): Global packaging waste is overwhelming recycling systems and fuelling pollution and climate risk. Why the linear packaging economy is failing? - [Ocean Acidification reaches new depths](https://shameemk.com/ocean-acidification-reaches-new-depths-2/): Discover the hidden consequences of climate change with ocean acidification. Learn how rising CO2 levels are impacting marine life at unprecedented depths. - [Global Warming Alert: UN predicts 3.1°C rise without urgent Climate action](https://shameemk.com/global-warming-alert-un-predicts-3-1c-rise-without-urgent-climate-action/): Discover the alarming UN climate change predictions for 2100. Find out the potential consequences of a 3.1°C rise in global temperature. - [Horizon Scans: Identifying the future of marine and coastal biodiversity](https://shameemk.com/ocean-acidification/): Explore the biodiversity challenges faced by marine and coastal ecosystems and the importance of horizon scanning for future threats. - [A landfill of 50million tyres poses severe environmental damage](https://shameemk.com/a-landfill-of-50million-tyres-poses-severe-environmental-damage/): Discover the environmental dangers posed by a landfill containing 50 million tyres. Learn about the toxic impact on ecosystems, air quality, and the urgent need for sustainable waste management solutions. - [Fukushima: The legacy of the 2011 nuclear meltdown ](https://shameemk.com/fukishima-legacy-and-effects/): 10 years on from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Fukushima is beginning to rebuild. But what was the true cost of the damage caused to the nuclear plant, economically, environmentally and socially? - [The effect of melting glaciers on global climate ambitions](https://shameemk.com/the-effect-of-melting-glaciers-on-global-climate-ambitions/): Discover the alarming effects of melting ice caps on climate change. Rising sea levels and changing compositions are causing severe events globally. --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages > Explores the science of ocean memory and how Earth's most vital system is losing its ability to stabilise our world. - Published: 2025-06-14 - Modified: 2025-10-16 - URL: https://shameemk.com/when-the-ocean-forgets/ How Climate Change Is Unravelling the Earth’s MemoryWelcome. I’m really glad you’re here. When the Ocean Forgets is a book I wrote not just as a scientist, but as someone deeply concerned, and deeply moved by what’s happening to our planet. The idea behind this book started with a question that wouldn’t leave me: what if the ocean doesn’t just respond to climate change — what if it remembers it? And what happens if it starts to forget? The ocean has long acted as Earth’s great stabiliser. Its layers of warmth, salt, and movement store vast amounts of energy and information, guiding weather systems, regulating heat, and connecting distant corners of the planet through powerful currents. But as warming accelerates, this memory is starting to erode. The ocean is becoming more stratified, less able to circulate, and increasingly silent in the ways it used to speak to the rest of the world. This book weaves together climate science, system dynamics, and traditional ecological knowledge to explore what that loss of memory really means for weather, for resilience, for civilisation itself. It’s not a book of despair, though. It’s an invitation: to listen more closely, to think differently about resilience, and to see our connection with the ocean not as distant or abstract, but immediate and vital. I wrote this for those who are curious about the deeper stories beneath climate change, for readers who care about science, but also about meaning, memory, and the wisdom of nature. Thank you for reading. I hope this book stays with you. For personal orders click on Amazon. For retailers, independent book stores, libraries and more, click on IngramSpark. Jonathan Miller@Markets Herald Book Review: When the Ocean Forgets. Does it hold up to the Facts — And the Feeling. By Jonathan Miller | Climate Fact Check Review Erika Matthews@Daily Skanner The Ocean Is Forgetting, and That Should Terrify Us. There are books that explain climate change, and then there are books that reframe it. Shameem Kazmi’s When the Ocean Forgets belongs firmly in the latter category. It is a haunting, beautifully constructed exploration of the idea that the ocean, like the human brain, holds memory. And that memory, like our climate, is beginning to erode. --- > Gain expert perspectives on climate change, sustainability, and global challenges through articles and thought leadership from Shameem Kazmi. - Published: 2024-12-06 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/media-hub/ Media Hub – Interviews, Features, and Creative Insights The hidden climate cost of Christmas chocolate Why cocoa and climate change could spoil the festive season Introduction: A sweet tradition with a bitter truth As Christmas approaches, chocolate becomes part of the season’s emotional fabric. Advent calendars count down the days with miniature treats, selection boxes appear under trees, and luxury truffles signal indulgence, comfort, and celebration. Chocolate feels timeless, almost innocent, woven into childhood memories and festive rituals. Yet behind the glossy wrappers and familiar brands lies a story that is anything but sweet. Cocoa, the essential ingredient that makes chocolate possible, sits at the crossroads of climate change, deforestation, global inequality, and corporate responsibility. Learn more Oranges are failing under climate stress As heat, drought and disease collide, orange harvests are slipping later, costs are rising and a once-predictable crop is losing its seasonal rhythm. Learn more Wheat was built for a climate that no longer exists Wheat underpins global food security, yet climate change is pushing it beyond its limits. Rising heat and drought are reshaping the world’s most vital crop, with profound consequences for yields, livelihoods and global stability. Learn more Latest Article Welcome to my blog — a space for fresh perspectives, thought-provoking insights, and practical strategies designed to spark ideas, challenge convention, and inspire action. My work has been featured in global press, highlighting sustainability, innovation, and climate leadership. By sharing insights on the circular economy, climate change, and organisational transformation, I aim to shape the global dialogue on creating a more resilient and sustainable future. I have been interviewed and featured in international press and media, sharing perspectives on sustainability, innovation, and climate leadership to help shape public dialogue on building a sustainable future. --- > Connect with Shameem Kazmi through our London office. Email or visit us to discuss your inquiries and needs. - Published: 2024-12-06 - Modified: 2025-06-14 - URL: https://shameemk.com/contact-me/ Contact Shameem K – Let’s Connect and Collaborate Looking for thoughtful guidance, scientific insight, or a fresh perspective on sustainability? With years of experience as a trusted advisor and NED, I’m here to help individuals and organisations navigate challenges and reach their goals. I combine a strong background in science, strategic thinking, and thought leadership in sustainability to support your purpose. Contact Contact Address Shameem Kazmi 4th Floor, 18 St. Cross Street, Holborn, London, England, EC1N 8UN Email Me E sk@shameemk. com The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create. – Leonard Sweet Send me a message Get in touch Follow me social media Linkedin X-twitter --- > Shameem Kazmi is a scientific advisor, non-executive director, and author focused on climate action, innovation and sustainability. - Published: 2024-12-06 - Modified: 2025-10-09 - URL: https://shameemk.com/my-work/ My work Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. --- > Uncover the vision of Shameem Kazmi, an award-winning leader dedicated to environmental and social responsibility in business and communities. - Published: 2024-12-04 - Modified: 2025-11-15 - URL: https://shameemk.com/about-me/ About Shameem Kazmi: Scientist, Strategist, and Sustainability Leader About Shameem Kazmi I am a global leader with a wealth of experience gained from working across diverse cultures and industries around the world. My career has been shaped by a commitment to research and development, fostering sustainable growth, driving commercial innovation, building resilient teams and organisations. I’m particularly drawn to initiatives that prioritise people, planet, and purpose. Whether guiding cultural transformation, enhancing governance frameworks, or mentoring leaders. My vision isn’t just about the organisations I serve, it’s about contributing to a more sustainable, equitable, and thriving global society. As an award-winning Non-Executive Director, I have been instrumental in strengthening governance frameworks, shaping strategic vision, and driving cultural transformation. My leadership has helped organisations navigate complex challenges, enhance performance, and achieve sustainable growth, all while maintaining a strong commitment to environmental, social, and corporate responsibility. As a Scientific Advisor, I work closely with organisations and academia to translate advanced research into scalable, sustainable solutions. By providing expert guidance, I help businesses to innovate responsibly, unlocking growth opportunities while ensuring long-term environmental and social impact. My focus is on empowering these stakeholders to navigate the complexities of today’s world, enabling growth that is both impactful and sustainable on a global scale. --- --- ## Posts > Chocolate is a Christmas staple, but cocoa is under climate strain. Explore how climate change, deforestation and inequality threaten chocolate. - Published: 2025-11-01 - Modified: 2026-01-01 - URL: https://shameemk.com/the-hidden-climate-cost-of-christmas-chocolate/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog Why cocoa and climate change could spoil the festive season Introduction: A sweet tradition with a bitter truth As Christmas approaches, chocolate becomes part of the season’s emotional fabric. Advent calendars count down the days with miniature treats, selection boxes appear under trees, and luxury truffles signal indulgence, comfort, and celebration. Chocolate feels timeless, almost innocent, woven into childhood memories and festive rituals. Yet behind the glossy wrappers and familiar brands lies a story that is anything but sweet. Cocoa, the essential ingredient that makes chocolate possible, sits at the crossroads of climate change, deforestation, global inequality, and corporate responsibility. It is a crop uniquely vulnerable to environmental disruption, grown largely by smallholder farmers in some of the world’s most climate-exposed regions. As global demand continues to rise, particularly during festive periods, cocoa exposes a deep contradiction at the heart of modern consumption: the products that bring us comfort are often produced through systems under severe environmental and social strain. This Christmas, the pressures on cocoa are no longer abstract. Climate change is already reshaping where cocoa can grow, how much can be produced, and who bears the costs. The result is a supply chain under stress, forests disappearing at alarming rates, and farmers struggling to survive, even as chocolate prices climb in wealthy markets. Cocoa has become a case study in how climate change collides with global food systems, and why seasonal indulgence can no longer be separated from environmental reality. Climate change and Cocoa production Cocoa is an unusually demanding crop. The trees thrive only within a narrow climatic window, typically within 20 degrees of the equator, where temperatures, rainfall, and humidity remain relatively stable throughout the year. Even small deviations can have significant consequences for yields, disease prevalence, and tree health. Climate change is now pushing many cocoa-growing regions beyond those tolerances. Rising temperatures are one of the most immediate threats. Studies indicate that cocoa yields can decline sharply when temperatures exceed optimal ranges, with some regions experiencing reductions of 20 to 31 per cent where temperatures rise by up to 7°C above historical norms. Heat stress affects flowering and pod development, while also increasing evapotranspiration, leaving trees more vulnerable to drought. These are not projections for the distant future; they are impacts already being observed across West Africa, which produces around 60 per cent of the world’s cocoa. Rainfall patterns are also becoming more erratic. Cocoa trees depend on regular, predictable rainfall, but climate change is intensifying dry seasons while also increasing the likelihood of heavy, destructive downpours. Drought weakens trees and reduces yields, while intense rainfall can promote fungal diseases such as black pod, further cutting production. For farmers with limited access to irrigation, fertilisers, or resilient plant varieties, adapting to these changes is extraordinarily difficult. As traditional cocoa-growing areas become less viable, farmers are often forced to expand cultivation into new land to maintain incomes. This expansion frequently comes at the expense of forests, creating a vicious cycle: climate change reduces yields, deforestation accelerates... --- > Climate change is delaying orange harvests and intensifying disease pressure, quietly undermining citrus yields, quality and long-term reliability. - Published: 2025-10-06 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/oranges-are-failing-under-climate-stress/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog As heat, drought and disease collide, orange harvests are slipping later, costs are rising and a once-predictable crop is losing its seasonal rhythm. Disease, delayed harvests and the warning signs from the latest season A season that no longer resolves itself For most of modern agricultural history, the orange harvest arrived not as a surprise but as a culmination, the natural closing of a growing season that farmers understood intuitively because the trees themselves followed a pattern shaped by decades of climatic stability. Flowering, fruit set, ripening and harvest moved in sequence, allowing growers to plan labour, irrigation, contracts and markets with a degree of confidence that made citrus viable as a long-term crop. That confidence is now dissolving. Across major citrus regions, from southern Europe to Brazil and Florida, harvests are sliding later into the year, often into November, not because growers are choosing to extend the season, but because the fruit is struggling to complete its development under prolonged heat stress, erratic rainfall and disrupted recovery periods. Colour break is delayed, sugar accumulation lags, fruit size becomes inconsistent, and oranges remain on trees longer than planned, exposed to further stress and disease pressure while growers wait for maturity that no longer arrives on time. This shift is not subtle. In Spain, one of Europe’s largest citrus producers, recent seasons have seen harvest delays of several weeks, accompanied by yield losses estimated at 10–20 percent in some regions following heatwaves and drought episodes. Similar patterns are emerging across the Mediterranean basin, where climate volatility is increasingly cited as a driver of declining citrus reliability rather than isolated seasonal anomalies. Globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that climate variability is now one of the most significant risks to perennial crops, with citrus singled out as particularly vulnerable due to its sensitivity to prolonged heat, water stress and disease interactions. What makes the latest harvests so alarming is not simply that they are late, but that lateness is becoming normalised, eroding the seasonal rhythm on which citrus production depends and replacing predictability with permanent uncertainty. Disease accelerating where climate erodes resilience When climate stress becomes chronic rather than episodic, trees enter a state of physiological exhaustion, diverting energy away from defence mechanisms and towards survival, a shift that leaves them dangerously exposed to disease at precisely the moment when environmental conditions favour its spread. Citrus greening disease, or Huanglongbing, has become the most devastating expression of this vulnerability, transforming once-productive orchards into liabilities and reshaping entire citrus economies. In Florida, where the disease has intersected brutally with rising temperatures and extreme weather, orange production has collapsed by more than 70 percent since the early 2000s, falling from over 240 million boxes at its peak to under 70 million boxes in recent seasons. While citrus greening is caused by a bacterium spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, climate change has amplified its impact at every stage, with warmer winters increasing vector survival, heat-stressed trees showing reduced tolerance, and recovery periods shrinking or disappearing altogether. The United States Department of Agriculture has explicitly acknowledged that climate conditions are intensifying disease pressure and undermining long-term... --- > Climate change is pushing wheat beyond its limits, as heat and drought threaten the crop that underpins global food security. - Published: 2025-06-20 - Modified: 2026-01-01 - URL: https://shameemk.com/wheat-was-built-for-a-climate-that-no-longer-exists/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog Wheat underpins global food security, yet climate change is pushing it beyond its limits. Rising heat and drought are reshaping the world’s most vital crop, with profound consequences for yields, livelihoods and global stability. Why food security is becoming a question of stability, not supply The grain we learned to trust For thousands of years, wheat has been more than food. It has been reassurance across continents and cultures. It became the grain people trusted to be there, year after year, anchoring daily diets and social order alike. Wheat shaped settlement patterns, trade routes, and political decisions long before it filled supermarket shelves. Bread prices were never just about hunger, but about calm, continuity, and control. When wheat was plentiful and affordable, societies tended to hold together. When it was not, they rarely did. That long history of reliability has shaped modern assumptions in ways few people consciously recognise. Governments plan food subsidies around wheat. Humanitarian aid relies on it as a dependable calorie source. Global markets assume that if one region falters, another will quietly fill the gap. Families across the world build daily meals around wheat without ever questioning whether it might not always be there. What climate change is doing is not shattering wheat production overnight but steadily unpicking that trust. The danger lies precisely in how gradual the shift appears. Fields still turn green and harvests still mature. Yet beneath that surface continuity, the conditions wheat evolved to depend on are becoming less frequent, less reliable, and more fragile. This is not a crisis of total collapse, but of growing instability in a system that was built on the expectation of predictability. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has repeatedly warned that rising temperatures, heat extremes, and changing rainfall patterns are already affecting crop productivity across major breadbasket regions, with wheat among the most exposed staples (IPCC AR6 Working Group II). Wheat was never designed to cope with constant uncertainty. It flourished in a world where seasons behaved in broadly recognisable ways, where extremes were the exception rather than the norm, and where farmers could rely on accumulated experience to guide decisions. That world is fading, and wheat is beginning to show us what that loss really means. A crop with narrow margins for error Wheat’s global reach creates the impression of resilience, yet physiologically it operates within narrow margins, particularly at key moments in its growth cycle. One of the most critical comes during flowering, when temperature, timing, and moisture must align with remarkable precision. Short periods of heat, sometimes lasting only a few days above roughly 30 to 32°C, can disrupt pollen viability and prevent grain from forming properly. To the naked eye, the crop often appears unharmed, standing green and upright in the field, even as yield potential quietly disappears. This vulnerability has been well documented in agronomic and climate research. The Food and Agriculture Organization has shown that heat stress during flowering and grain filling stages leads to disproportionate yield losses, even when overall rainfall appears sufficient (FAO, Climate Change and Food Security). What makes climate change particularly dangerous for wheat is not simply warmer conditions, but the increasing frequency of poorly timed extremes that strike... --- > Explore how Congo's deadly rains every 2 years highlight the global climate change divide and its severe impact on communities. - Published: 2025-04-29 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/congo-floods-climate-crisis/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog How catastrophic rains in the Congo reveal the deepening global divide in the fight against climate change. For the Earth Day 2025, the actors and activities promoted under the slogan “Our Power, Our Planet”, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is within the context of a climatic disaster that submerges every part of this international event. Frequent heavy rainfalls, which were before considered a rarity in Democratic Republic of the Congo, are predicted to happen every two years proving the dangerous imperative for preserve the earth environment and the serious consequences of climate change in risky regions. This means that there is a great imperative for regional and international response given the fact that the impact of rainstorm which has gradually visited this nation in central Africa has been catastrophic. This new emerging problem serves as a living indication of the worse climate discrimination experienced elsewhere in the world. The Increasing Wave: Congo's Flooding Frequency and Effects Accompanied, flooding has regrettably hit, this time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital city Kinshasa in April 2025 whereby at least 33 people died, and hundreds displaced. Several residential houses, schools and other health installations were flooded by the overflowing of the Ndjili River brought about by non-stop rains. The President of the DR Congo, Félix Tshisekedi went to the ground to access the situation, meet with the victims and assess the situation and impact. The Head of state also spent his time visiting flood victims at the Vijana Health Centre in Lingwala accompanied by First Lady, Denise Nyakeru as did both governmental and moral support to the shocked victims. In this context, to order the actions of providing assistance in the Kasaï I and II provinces, Tshisekedi also mentioned that an emergency meeting would be call together. These horrifying incidences are a wake-up call to ordinary citizens on how more vulnerable groups in the Congo and the whole of Africa are at the receiving end of climate disasters. Such recurrent floods can be compared to the previous ones like Kinshasa floods in 2022 that claimed 169 people’s lives and affected more than 12 million individuals. It was in 2023 when flood hit South Kivu province with the lives of more than 440 lives claimed besides damaging properties. In the same way, a fatal slide resulting from a very wet spell in 2024 buried more than 50 persons in Kwilu. Such incidences are not limited to but are taking place in the contemporary society. This is because, as per climate scientists, if global warming is not halted, more devastating rain incidents will occur every two years at least. Whereas what used to be an occasional disaster that affected the people is now happening frequently and has grown terribly destructive. The Connection Between Severe Weather Events and Climate Change It can easily be established that climate change caused by human activity impacts the increase of heavy rainfall in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The appearance of the rainfall events has increased together... --- > Global packaging waste is overwhelming recycling systems and fuelling pollution and climate risk. Why the linear packaging economy is failing? - Published: 2025-02-06 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/global-waste-and-packaging-the-system-we-built-is-breaking/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog Global packaging waste is growing faster than the systems designed to manage it. As recycling reaches its limits and consumption accelerates, the world faces a waste crisis rooted in how packaging is designed, produced, and valued. Why packaging waste is no longer just a pollution problem but a climate failure The world does not have a waste problem because people dispose of products incorrectly. It has a waste problem because the global economy was designed to produce materials with no credible plan for what happens next. Nowhere is this more visible than in packaging. Packaging is the most immediate interface between consumption and waste. It protects food, enables global trade, extends shelf life, and signals brand value. Yet it is also the largest source of plastic waste worldwide and one of the fastest-growing waste streams across both developed and emerging economies. In 2025, the contradiction is impossible to ignore. The very systems that made modern consumption cheap, convenient, and global are now overwhelming landfills, rivers, oceans, and communities. For decades, the solution was framed as recycling. But recycling was never designed to cope with the scale, complexity, and economic realities of today’s packaging systems. The result is a global waste architecture under strain, exposed by rising volumes, fragile infrastructure, and policy responses that are racing to catch up. A packaging system built for linear growth Global packaging production has grown relentlessly alongside population growth, urbanisation, and globalised supply chains. Plastic packaging has expanded because it is lightweight, versatile, cheap, and adaptable to almost any product. Food and beverage packaging dominates volumes, driven by convenience culture, single-serve formats, and longer supply chains. The problem is not simply volume, it is complexity. Modern packaging is rarely a single material. Multilayer films, composite cartons, barrier coatings, inks, adhesives, and labels all improve performance but make recovery far harder. From a waste perspective, much of today’s packaging is engineered for disposal, not recovery. In theory, circular economy principles promised a different future. In practice, the system that emerged remained largely linear. Materials are extracted, converted into packaging, used briefly, and then exported into waste systems that are expected to absorb the consequences. Recycling rates, where they exist, often mask downcycling, leakage, or export rather than true material recovery. The global waste divide Waste is a global issue, but it is not a globally shared burden. High-income countries generate the most packaging waste per capita, yet much of that waste historically flowed elsewhere. For years, export markets absorbed materials that domestic systems could not economically process. When those markets closed or tightened controls, the fragility of the system became clear. In many low- and middle-income countries, packaging waste is growing fastest, driven by urbanisation and the rapid expansion of packaged goods. Yet waste infrastructure has not kept pace. Collection systems are inconsistent, sorting is largely manual, and disposal often means open dumping or uncontrolled landfills. Plastic packaging, designed to be durable, persists in environments least equipped to manage it. This is not just an environmental issue, it is a social and economic one. Informal waste workers underpin recycling in many parts of the world, operating without protection, security, or recognition. Packaging waste shapes livelihoods, health outcomes, and local environments. The global... --- > Discover the hidden consequences of climate change with ocean acidification. Learn how rising CO2 levels are impacting marine life at unprecedented depths. - Published: 2024-12-15 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/ocean-acidification-reaches-new-depths-2/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog A Warning Sign for Climate Change Ocean acidification, a less visible but equally devastating facet of climate change, is now impacting marine ecosystems at unprecedented depths. Rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels from human activities are not only altering the surface waters of our oceans but are penetrating down to 1,500 meters, disrupting marine life adapted to stable chemical conditions. This deep-reaching phenomenon marks a new era of ecological threat, underscored by data-rich modeling efforts and measurable biological impacts. The Scale of Acidification: A Historical Overview The ocean has absorbed approximately 25% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions since the industrial revolution began in the 1800s. This massive uptake has fundamentally altered the ocean's chemistry. Before industrialization, the pH of ocean surface waters averaged around 8. 2. Today, the average has dropped to 8. 1—a seemingly small change but representing a 26% increase in acidity. Recent studies highlight that much of this acidification has occurred since 1994, coinciding with an exponential rise in global CO2 emissions. New 3D reconstructions of oceanic CO2 movement, developed by Jens Daniel Müller and his team at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, have quantified acidification's progression through ocean layers. Their models reveal that while surface waters have long been understood as the primary absorbers of CO2, deeper regions are now significantly affected. Depths of Impact: Understanding Ocean Layers and Acidification Surface Layers (0–200 meters): The surface is the primary site where ocean acidification begins, driven by the direct absorption of CO₂ from the atmosphere. This layer experiences the most immediate and pronounced chemical changes, heavily impacting marine organism’s dependent on stable pH levels. Intermediate Depths (200–1,000 meters): Over decades, CO₂ absorbed at the surface gradually mixes into intermediate layers through ocean circulation. This slower penetration affects ecosystems that were previously insulated from such chemical disruptions, creating new challenges for marine biodiversity. Deep Ocean (>1,000 meters): Acidification impacts here are delayed due to the long timescales of deep-ocean mixing, spanning centuries to millennia. However, the signals of CO₂-driven chemical changes are becoming evident even in these depths, stressing ecosystems that have evolved in chemically stable environments. Biological Impacts at Depth Marine organisms, particularly those reliant on calcium carbonate for their skeletal structures, are bearing the brunt of this chemical shift. Pteropods—delicate sea butterflies and snails—are highly sensitive to reduced pH levels. Their calcium carbonate shells begin dissolving in waters with a pH below 7. 8, a threshold increasingly breached in deeper regions. This vulnerability underscores the cascading impact of acidification on food webs, as these organisms serve as vital links in marine ecosystems. Cold-water corals, inhabiting depths of 200 to 1,500 meters, are also severely affected. These corals, forming biodiversity hotspots and acting as nurseries for numerous species, face double the risk of habitat loss compared to a century ago. The acidic waters reduce the availability of carbonate ions essential for their growth, effectively doubling the areas where these corals can no longer survive. Drivers and Accelerants of Deep-Water Acidification The deep-reaching acidification is driven by several factors,... --- > Discover the alarming UN climate change predictions for 2100. Find out the potential consequences of a 3.1°C rise in global temperature. - Published: 2024-03-15 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/global-warming-alert-un-predicts-3-1c-rise-without-urgent-climate-action/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog     31 October 2024 A recent United Nations report issues an alarming prediction: without drastic intervention, global temperatures are on track to rise by 3. 1°C by the end of the century. This stark forecast is more than double the 1. 5°C limit agreed to under the Paris Agreement, underscoring the urgent need for action to prevent potentially devastating consequences. The 2024 Emissions Gap Report reveals that the world is veering dangerously off course, moving toward a hotter, more extreme future unless policies change swiftly. Here, we explore the UN’s findings and delve into what needs to be done to bridge the emissions gap and protect our planet. The Dangerous Threshold: What 3. 1°C Means for Our Planet The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, aimed to cap global warming at a maximum of 1. 5°C above pre-industrial levels to avoid disastrous environmental and economic impacts. According to the UN report, however, the current trajectory points toward a 3. 1°C rise by 2100 if policies do not shift. This level of warming would lead to a drastic increase in extreme weather events, sea level rise, and widespread biodiversity loss. For example, a study published in Nature (2022) estimated that a 3°C temperature rise would increase the likelihood of drought by 70% in already water-scarce regions across Africa and Asia. Even now, with global temperatures approximately 1. 3°C higher than pre-industrial levels, we’re witnessing severe consequences, such as the 2023 floods in Pakistan, which displaced over 8 million people and resulted in economic losses of over $30 billion (UNDRR). If temperatures rise to 3. 1°C, climate impacts could become unmanageable, with some coastal regions facing irreversible submersion, and cities worldwide experiencing severe heatwaves that affect productivity, health, and overall well-being. The Emissions Gap: Why We’re Not on Track Greenhouse gas emissions rose to a record 57. 1 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent between 2022 and 2023, an increase of 1. 3%, the report notes. Despite commitments from countries worldwide, emissions continue to climb due to persistent reliance on fossil fuels and inadequate implementation of climate policies. The report specifically highlights the role of G20 nations, which account for approximately 78% of global emissions, with many still falling short of their pledged 2030 targets. Without further action, emissions are expected to push temperatures up by 2. 6°C to 2. 8°C even if current pledges are met, which is still far above the 1. 5°C goal. This discrepancy between commitments and reality emphasizes the need for immediate, large-scale changes in energy policies, industrial practices, and societal consumption patterns. The report urges all nations to aim for a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a 57% cut by 2035 to stabilise warming. Economic Implications: Inaction Could Cost Trillions The financial impacts of unchecked climate change are enormous. According to the World Bank, a 3°C increase in global temperatures could reduce global GDP by 8-10% by 2100 due to disruptions in agriculture, infrastructure, and labor productivity. Extreme weather events already cost economies billions... --- > Explore the biodiversity challenges faced by marine and coastal ecosystems and the importance of horizon scanning for future threats. - Published: 2023-01-30 - Modified: 2026-01-06 - URL: https://shameemk.com/ocean-acidification/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog Marine and coastal ecosystems face a significant challenge with current and emerging issues. Various types of human activity have caused alterations in ocean chemistry and marine and coastal biodiversity, from fishing pressure to rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification. More than 80 percent of marine pollution is from land-based activities. An effective way to predict and identify future marine and coastal biodiversity is by using horizon scans. A new study has identified emerging threats to oceans that affect biodiversity. What is horizon scanning, and what emerging issues will affect marine and coastal biodiversity? Horizon scanning Scientists use horizon scans to systematically examine information to identify potential threats, risks, emerging issues, and opportunities. Identifying these upcoming issues can help scientists, conservation practitioners, and policymakers better prepare and incorporate mitigation and exploitation into policy-making processes. The general term for horizon scanning is for analyzing the future and considering how emerging trends and developments might affect current policy and practice. Understanding these issues helps policymakers in government to take a longer-term strategic approach and make present policy more resilient to future uncertainties. In addition, it allows policymakers to develop new insights and think outside the box. Planning is an iterative process of horizon scanning to help manage risk by planning events that might happen. Emerging issues and threats Currently, issues and threats to marine and coastal ecosystems include overexploitation of resources, expansion of anthropogenic activities, and climate change. Also, many studies have found a wide range of emerging issues and threats to biodiversity after conducting experiments with horizon scanning. Previous identifications through horizon scanning were microplastics, invasive species, and electric pulse trawling, but there have been no issues related to marine and coastal biodiversity. Using horizon scans to find emerging issues related to this will benefit oceans and human society by stimulating research and policy development. In 2009, a team of 30 researchers from 11 countries came together to identify these emerging changes to marine and coastal ecosystems using horizon scanning and submitted a total of 75 new ocean issues that appeared on the science radar. The team of marine and coastal scientists, practitioners, and policymakers found three main categories that are listed below: Recent studies have shown that most of these issues have become a threat to biodiversity. What are these emerging threats, and how can we reduce these threats? Ecosystems Horizon scanning has shown researchers that many ecosystem issues could become worse in the future. These impacts are from wildfires, increased toxicity, climate migration, coastal darkening, and altered nutrient cycling, which causes the destruction of ecosystems and a decline in species richness. Recent studies have found that rising ocean temperatures redistribute fish species. This is because fish cannot tolerate high temperatures, which forms dead zones and leaves vulnerable communities with low food supplies that will only worsen over time—eventually creating economic, social, and nutritional issues in small communities. There are various severities with all these impacts on the ecosystem. Wildfires are increased by climate change. These fires are at an... --- > Discover the environmental dangers posed by a landfill containing 50 million tyres. Learn about the toxic impact on ecosystems, air quality, and the urgent need for sustainable waste management solutions. - Published: 2022-03-10 - Modified: 2025-06-14 - URL: https://shameemk.com/a-landfill-of-50million-tyres-poses-severe-environmental-damage/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog Why 50 Million tyres in a landfill are a major threat to our planet Studies have quantified that the amount of tyres disposed of around the world is between 1 and 1. 8 billion each year. This value equates to roughly 2-3% of all collected waste materials. Of those billions of discarded tyres, many of them find themselves in the world’s largest tyre graveyard, located in Al Sulaibiya: a small town in Al Jahra Governorate, Kuwait. The vast graveyard is estimated to hold 50 millions tyres. And these tyres are from Kuwait and other countries that pay tyre disposal companies to discard tyre waste. Officials in Kuwait estimate that this number has been generated for more than two decades, and is the result of illegal tyre dumping and a lack of waste planning and management. In addition, the country lacked the infrastructure needed for years in order to utilise waste-tyres for other purposes through recycling. For decades, this tyre graveyard slipped under the radar, until it gathered global attention for its most influential fire outbreaks that occurred in 2019 and 2021. While surely not the first fires of their kind, they did spark a global conversation about the consumption and disposal of tyres. In addition, they generated concerns regarding the environmental impact of such a waste site, as well as human and public health concerns. (This is not just a problem unique to Kuwait. A tyre graveyard caught fire in Spain in 2016, forcing 9000 people to evacuate. A fire deliberately ignited at a tyre dump in Wales burned from 1989 to 2004 - the longest-burning tyre fire to date - leaching zinc, chromium, cadmium, and other additives into the ground). These fires are especially dangerous, as the smoke released is thick, black, and loaded with toxins. When tyres become ablazed they release chemicals and compounds that are harmful to the environment and human health when inhaled. These toxins include carbon monoxide, cyanide, sulphur dioxide, butadiene, and styrene. Said chemicals are especially irritating to the respiratory system, and may be linked to disease when exposure is long-term. The combustibility of tyres makes them especially difficult to extinguish once burning, especially in desert heat. Fires from the tyre graveyard in Kuwait have been spotted in satellite images from space, where the black smoke barreling from the area is easily noticeable. Gusts of wind carry the smoke in all directions, pushing the released chemicals and toxins through the air, where they create dangerous air quality levels for populations in nearby towns and cities. Often, these chemicals become lodged in the environment once the fire and dust settles, where they enter water bodies and have the potential to contaminate soils and crops in areas far from the origin of the fires. A total of five factories in Kuwait have been granted governmental assistance and permission to receive tyres from the landfill to reduce, recycle, and export the tyres for use and profit. What remains is transported to Salmi, Kuwait, where 52 plants are... --- > 10 years on from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Fukushima is beginning to rebuild. But what was the true cost of the damage caused to the nuclear plant, economically, environmentally and socially? - Published: 2021-03-29 - Modified: 2024-12-30 - URL: https://shameemk.com/fukishima-legacy-and-effects/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog 10 years on from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Fukushima is beginning to reopen. But what was the true cost of the damage caused to the nuclear plant economically, environmentally and socially? On the 11th of March 2011, at 14:46 local time (05:46 GMT) an earthquake, known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, struck east of the city of Sendai, 97km north of the Fukushima nuclear plant. With just 10 minutes warning, the earthquake triggered a tsunami with a 15 metre high wave which hit the coast, overpowering the defensive sea wall. This flooded the Fukushima nuclear plant, knocking out the generators that were helping to keep the reactors in the plant cool, causing what’s known as a ‘nuclear meltdown’ (the melting of the reactor’s cores). The country was propelled into a nuclear crisis. Initially, the evacuation zone imposed by the government was around 2km. By the following morning, that had been extended to 20km partly due to the devastation caused by the tsunami, but also partly to prevent potential radiation exposure. It wasn’t just the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere that was cause for concern. The water passing through the plant would also potentially become contaminated which, when flushed back into the Pacific Ocean, could pose risks to marine life. Indeed, low levels of radioactive caesium from Fukushima were found in tuna as far afield as California. Over 150,000 people were forced to evacuate from the area and the overall death toll from the earthquake and tsunami is estimated to be around 20,000. However, no deaths were directly linked to meltdown at the plant at the time, and only one death since then has been attributed to radiation exposure. In fact, initial fears of the levels and effects of radiation exposure due to the accident are now thought to have been over-estimated. A 2020 report by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) revealed that the levels of radiation released from the plant were insignificant compared to levels naturally present in the environment. Despite this evidence, the enduring effect of the disaster 10 years on continues to impact Japan economically, environmentally and socially. The programme to decontaminate the land is costing hundreds of billions of dollars and, with the clean-up operation expected to last another 30 to 40 years, there are doubts as to whether the area will ever fully recover. Large bags of contaminated soil and around 1 million tons of contaminated water are still being stored at the site and how to dispose of them is an area of contention. The government is considering slowly discharging the water, which has been treated but still contains small amounts of radiation, back into the ocean. If done correctly, i. e. very slowly over a long period, it is believed that it would have no detrimental impact. But, whilst many official organisations agree this will be safe, local communities are concerned that it will only serve to prolong the devasting impacts on the... --- > Discover the alarming effects of melting ice caps on climate change. Rising sea levels and changing compositions are causing severe events globally. - Published: 2021-03-13 - Modified: 2024-12-30 - URL: https://shameemk.com/the-effect-of-melting-glaciers-on-global-climate-ambitions/ - Categories: Blog - Tags: Shameem Kazmi Blog Global warming has already reached 1°C above pre-industrial levels and the consequences of this for people and planet are immense. As the air and the oceans become warmer, glaciers are melting, their compositions changing and the resulting rising sea levels are causing increasingly severe events, both coastal and inland. Evidence of this effect on climate change was demonstrated last year when a huge part of the Spalte Glacier, the largest remaining ice shelf in the Arctic, broke away. The glacier, located in northeast Greenland, has been slowly disintegrating over the last two decades. However, the disintegration has dramatically accelerated recently, with it losing more than 100 square miles of mass in the last two years. The slowly melting glaciers are no longer able to balance the amount of snow accumulation on the surface with the loss of ice through warming, evaporation, glacier separation and other processes. "Temperatures in the Arctic are rising faster than the global average. More heat is available from air and ocean to melt away the bottom and surface of ice shelves, and the thinning ice shelves are more susceptible to breaking up. " Dr Niels J. Korsgaard, a researcher at The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), said. This change in the formation of glaciers is an important aspect of climate change. Large areas of ice, or ice shelves, act as corks that hold back glaciers flowing downstream. When these ice shelves reduce in size, the cork is removed and the ice flows more freely into the ocean causing sea levels to rise. There are many other factors affecting sea levels so it is difficult to predict exactly how much they will rise, but one studyestimates a rise of over 2 meters within the next 100 years. This has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of people across the world.  And it's not just sea levels that are affected, a recent study of Greenland's ice shelf reveals that many glaciers were showing signs of physical changes, such as the rerouting of freshwater rivers beneath the glaciers. The potential impact on the ecology and the communities that depend on such sources of water is huge. Although the Arctic is the area with the biggest loss, mountain glaciers are also depleting at a rapid rate. Under current high emission predictions, smaller glaciers in Europe, eastern Africa, the tropical Andes and Indonesia, for example, are projected to lose more than 80% of their current ice mass by 2100. “Changes in water availability will not just affect people in these high mountain regions, but also communities much further downstream,” said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I. Indeed, hundreds of millions of people across the world who live in high mountain regions and low-lying coastal zones depend directly on these systems. As these glaciers melt, it alters the water availability and the water quality downstream. The implications of this affect not only freshwater supplies for individuals but also many industries, including agriculture and hydropower. Furthermore, it increases... --- ---