Home / Environment / Global Warming: 1.5°C Target Inevitable, U.N. Report Warns
Global Warming: 1.5°C Target Inevitable, U.N. Report Warns
2 Sep
Summary
- Exceeding 1.5°C warming is now inevitable, says UN climate report.
- World must cut emissions 55% by 2035 and remove carbon.
- Reversing warming is harder than preventing it, experts state.
The world is set to surpass the 1.5 degrees Celsius global temperature rise target within the next few years, according to a United Nations report. Nearly 50 leading climate scientists advise a strategy of reducing emissions to zero and employing carbon removal techniques to lower temperatures.
The report, titled "Limiting Overshoot," outlines that to have a chance of reversing temperature rise before 2100, emissions must be cut by 55% by 2035 and nearly eliminated by mid-century. This path projects peak warming around 1.8 degrees Celsius.
Even with these measures, significant climate impacts are expected, including rising sea levels and more extreme weather events. The report stresses that reversing temperature increases will be more difficult than preventing them, with potential irreversible damage to ecosystems and increased risks of triggering climate tipping points.
While current policies project a warming of 2.8 degrees Celsius by century's end, even ambitious net-zero pledges could lead to 1.9 degrees Celsius. The report's blunt assessment highlights the urgency for immediate and drastic action to mitigate the most severe consequences of climate change.
