"A major new scientific report offers a road map for how countries can limit global warming, but warns that the margin for error is vanishingly small."
"Nations need to move away much faster from fossil fuels to retain any hope of preventing a perilous future on an overheated planet, according to a major new report on climate change released on Monday, although they have made some progress because of the falling costs of clean energy.
The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of experts convened by the United Nations, warns that unless countries drastically accelerate efforts over the next few years to slash their emissions from coal, oil and natural gas, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, will likely be out of reach by the end of this decade.
That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say the dangers of global warming — including worsening floods, droughts, wildfires and ecosystem collapse — grow considerably. Humans have already heated the planet by an average of 1.1 degrees Celsius since the 19th century, largely by burning fossil fuels for energy.
But the task is daunting: Holding warming to just 1.5 degrees Celsius would require nations to collectively reduce their planet-warming emissions roughly 43 percent by 2030 and to stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere altogether by the early 2050s, the report found. By contrast, current policies by governments are only expected to reduce global emissions by a few percentage points this decade. Last year, fossil fuel emissions worldwide rebounded to near-record highs after a brief dip as a result of the coronavirus pandemic."
Brad Plumer and Raymond Zhong report for the New York Times April 4, 2022.
SEE ALSO:
"Climate Lawsuits Given ‘Unprecedented’ Mention in Global Report" (Bloomberg Environment)
"5 Takeaways From the U.N. Report on Limiting Global Warming" (New York Times)
"The World Is Running Out of Options to Hit Climate Goals, U.N. Report Shows" (Washington Post)
"IPCC: For Climate Goals, It’s ‘Now Or Never’" (E&E News)
"Six Steps The World Can Take To Halt Climate Change" (Washington Post)
"UN Warns Earth ‘Firmly On Track Toward An Unlivable World’" (Associated Press)
"Political Wrangling Delays Release Of U.N. Climate Report" (Washington Post)
"No Obituary For Earth: Scientists Fight Climate Doom Talk" (AP)
"Clean Energy Transition Must Be Fast And Fair, IPCC Scientists Say" (Thomson Reuters Fdn.)
"IPCC Points To Need For 'Radical Action' As Climate Clock Ticks Down" (Thomson Reuters Fdn.)
"IPCC PRESS RELEASE 4 April 2022 The evidence is clear: the time for action is now" (IPCC)
"Mitigation of Climate Change" (IPCC)
"Planet’s Breakneck Warming Likely to Pass 1.5°C, UN Scientists Warn" (Bloomberg Green)
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