A new report released by the United Nations on Monday again makes clear the dire and immediate circumstances surrounding climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows the effects of climate change are being seen in “every region” on the planet, with special attention paid to the rapidity with which we are currently approaching the globally agreed 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold.
“This report is a reality check,” IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte said in a press release. “We now have a much clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential for understanding where we are headed, what can be done, and how we can prepare.”
Unless greenhouse gas emissions-targeted changes of an immediate and large-scale nature are implemented, successfully limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be “beyond reach.” In short, it’s imperative that governments worldwide work in unison to ensure we are all better prepared for continued warming.
António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, further warned that the newly released Working Group 1 report stands as a “code red for humanity.” Guterres also noted that we are “perilously close” to hitting the warming threshold, meaning “every fraction of a degree” is important.
“The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk,” Guterres said. “Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.”
The report is the first in a series of set to be released by the IPCC. Addressing the report in a statement early Monday morning, climate activist Greta Thunberg said it contained “no real surprises” but instead again confirms what’s long been discussed.
“[The report is] a solid but cautious summary of the current best available science,” Thunberg said. “It doesn’t tell us what to do. It is up to us to be brave and take decisions based on the scientific evidence provided in these reports.”
Thunberg added that it’s possible to dodge the “worst consequences” of climate change, but only if we collectively approach this issue with the urgency it demands.
Climate change is also negatively affecting the water cycle, rainfall patterns, sea levels, ocean oxygen levels, and much more. For additional info on the latest United Nations report, which was helmed by 234 authors from 66 different countries, click here.
