There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and secure a safe and liveable future for the global population, according to a new UN report. Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said there needs to be drastic and deep GHG emissions cuts to keep the average global temperature below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Every fraction of warming escalates the severity of climate effects such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall and flooding, they said, while new evidence has shown even small changes can wreak havoc on communities. Burning fossil fuels has already warmed the Earth by 1.1C, resulting in more frequent extreme weather and increased food and water scarcity for millions of people.
Human activities have unequivocally caused this warming, the report authors said, with current policies set to warm the Earth by a further 2C above pre-industrial temperatures by 2100. This could cause catastrophic loss of life for species around the equator while exposing millions more people to dangerous levels of heat and humidity.
