In its latest report on Monday, the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that “human activity is changing the Earth’s climate in unprecedented ways, with some of the changes now inevitable and irreversible.” The report called for urgent interventions to reduce emissions and said, “Humanity, through its actions, or lack of action, has unequivocally overheated the planet.”
The IPCC stated, “Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and some of the changes already set in motion—such as continued sea-level rise—are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years.” The Panel also said that the effects of climate change are already visible in recent floods in China and Germany, drought and wildfires in Greece, Turkey, and Italy, and heatwaves across parts of Siberia, Canada, and the United States, which are only likely to get worse.
Scientists believe that the “window is rapidly closing to cut our reliance on fossil fuels and avoid catastrophic changes that would transform life as we know it.” Additionally, the report mentioned that the earth is warming up faster than anticipated and is hurtling towards 1.5 degrees, a threshold agreed on by world leaders to avoid worsening climate change impacts. Valérie Masson-Delmotte, a scientist, said, “Unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to 1.5°C will be beyond reach.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the report a “code red for humanity” and warned that time is running out to save the planet.
World leaders and activists have also reacted to the alarming report. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted, “The IPCC report is final. Again. The time for indignation is behind us. Paris Agreement, carbon neutrality at European level, climate law…France will remain on the side of those who act. In November, in Glasgow, let’s seal an agreement equal to the urgency!”
Similarly, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “We know what must be done to limit global warming—consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline.”
Reacting to the report, environmental activist Greta Thunberg said, “It confirms what we already know from thousands of previous studies and reports—that we are in an emergency. It is up to us to be brave and take decisions based on the scientific evidence provided in these reports. We can still avoid the worst consequences, but not if we continue like today, and not without treating the crisis as a crisis.”
Furthermore, environmental NGO Greenpeace tweeted, “Dear fossil fuel industry, we’ll see you in court.” It added, “By strengthening the scientific evidence between human emissions and extreme weather, the IPCC has provided new, powerful means to hold the fossil fuel industry and governments directly responsible for the climate emergency.”
The report has suggested reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the only way to halt climate change. Concerning this, Michael E. Mann, lead author of the IPCC’s 2001 report, said, “The bottom line is that we have zero years left to avoid dangerous climate change because it’s here.”
UN Calls Latest Report On Climate Change “Code Red for Humanity”
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned leaders of the catastrophic effects of climate change and accused humans of global warming in its latest report.
August 10, 2021
SOURCE: USA TODAY