A new United Nations (UN) climate report concluded that humanity must cut emissions by half by the end of the decade to prevent a climate catastrophe.
Researchers have long argued that preventing temperatures from rising more than 2.7 extra degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) would avert some catastrophic climate change events, such as irreversible sea level rise.
- Global temperatures have already increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius since humans started pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the start of the industrial revolution.
- The report predicts that the world will hit the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius in "the first half of the 2030s."
- It reiterates that people in developing countries, especially in low-lying or island nations, are more vulnerable to extreme weather events.
- It calls on countries to reduce emissions to net zero by 2040, instead of 2050, as many governments plan to do.
- It notes that policymakers have many climate solutions at their disposal, such as investing in low-carbon public transit, designing walkable and bikeable communities, and building clean power plants.
- "Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
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