Urgent Climate Change Actions Are Necessary: UN
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Urgent Climate Change Actions Are Necessary: UN

Photo by:   Mika Baumeister, Unsplash
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Sofía Hanna By Sofía Hanna | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Wed, 08/11/2021 - 16:26

The new scientific report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that unless urgent actions are taken the opportunity to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5°C will quickly close. The report also addresses the role of humanity in climate change and the permanent damage done so far.

 

In its “Climate Change 2021: Physical Bases” report, the IPCC confirms that humans have irreversibly altered the planet’s climate and warns that the chance to reverse course, although very slim, is scientifically possible if immediate, urgent and firm actions are taken to reduce carbon emissions and protect and restore nature. “Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe with human influence contributing to many observed changes in weather and climate extremes, which shows that the window of opportunity to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of the century, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement, is rapidly closing.”

Global warming is currently reaching 1.1°C, leading to devastating consequences in all parts of the world, from floods in the EU and China to heatwaves in North America and devastating droughts in Madagascar. Mexico is also experiencing one of its most intense droughts in decades, with 85 percent of the country currently facing drought conditions that are depleting large water reservoirs, as reported by MBN. Stephen Cornelius, Chief Climate Change Advisor and IPCC Leader for WWF, said: “This is a stark assessment of the terrifying future that awaits us if we do not act. With the world on the brink of irreversible damage, every fraction of a degree of warming is important in limiting the dangers of climate change. It is clear that keeping global warming at 1.5°C is a huge challenge and can only be achieved if urgent action is taken globally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect and restore nature.”

The report highlights the need for international cooperation in the development and implementation of measures that are also fair and equitable for developing countries. WWF, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF Global Climate and Energy Leader, said: “The report is an important moment in the run-up to COP26 (2021 UN Climate Change Conference) because it is about certainty: certainty of the scale of the climate crisis and the role of humanity in driving extreme weather events; the certainty of how much we’ve changed the planet; and certainty that things will continue to get worse unless we change course immediately.”

Photo by:   Mika Baumeister, Unsplash

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