Climate Change Is a ‘Hammer Hitting Us on the Head,’ -- Developing Nations

"Leaders of vulnerable countries, as well as activists, said Monday’s blistering United Nations report must galvanize global action. But major emitters are dragging their heels."

"When some 200 scientists convened by the United Nations all but demanded on Monday that the nations immediately band together to cut emissions, they portrayed it as a brief window to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

But as their call ricocheted around the planet, it only underscored the challenge ahead: getting the world’s biggest polluters and its most vulnerable countries to cooperate against a grave global threat.

In unequivocal terms, the new United Nations report said that the world has been so slow to cut emissions, it was certain to miss one of its basic goals to limit warming. It said atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide had not been this high in at least 2 million years, and the past decade is likely the hottest the planet has been in 125,000 years. And in unusually direct terms, it said that human activity — burning oil, gas and coal — was squarely to blame."

Lisa Friedman, Hiroko Tabuchi, and Winston Choi-Schagrin report for the New York Times August 9, 2021.

SEE ALSO:

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"Global Food Supplies Will Suffer As Temperatures Rise – Climate Crisis Report" (Guardian)

"Climate Change: At-Risk Nations Fear Extinction After IPCC Report" (BBC News)

"Biden Aims For Sweeping Climate Action As Infrastructure, Budget Bills Advance" (Washington Post)

"Bleak Future Feared For Asia's Disaster-Prone Poor After Un Climate Report" (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

"Global Climate Panel’s Report: No Part of the Planet Will be Spared" (Inside Climate News)

"Why We Shouldn’t Give In To Climate Despair" (Washington Post)

"'Death Knell For Coal': Reactions To The U.N. Climate Report" (Reuters)

"A Major New Report Finds Some Of The Devastating Impacts Of Global Warming Are Now Unavoidable" (New York Times)

"IPCC: Window Closing To Stop Worst Effects Of Climate Change" (E&E News)

"UN Report: Effects Of Climate Change Even More Severe Than We Thought" (Axios)

"UN Report Places New Emphasis On Climate Tipping Points" (Grist)

"IPCC Report’S Verdict On Climate Crimes Of Humanity: Guilty As Hell" (Guardian)

"It’s Grim" (The Atlantic)

"Five Key Takeaways From the Latest IPCC Report on Climate" (Bloomberg Green)

"Five Takeaways From The IPCC’s 2021 Climate Science Report" (Climate Home News)

"The IPCC Report Is Clear: Nothing Short Of Transforming Society Will Avert Catastrophe" (Guardian)