New climate report is ‘code red for humanity’
A landmark new climate report from the UN is ‘code red’ for humanity, secretary-general Antonio Guterres said today.
The study found that the scale of recent changes to the world’s climate system were “unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years”.
It also said that it was “unequivocal” that “human influence” had contributed to the world’s warming.
The report comes amid an extended spell of extreme weather across Europe, with the current fires in Greece following swiftly on the back of devastating floods in Germany.
Unless there are deep reductions in carbon emissions over the coming decades, global warming will exceed 2 degrees this century, it said.
And any changes resulting from such emissions will be “irreversible for centuries to millennia, especially changes in the ocean, ice sheets and global sea level”.
Compared to before the industrial revolution, global temperatures are now 1.1 degree warmer. If warming tops 1.5 degrees, scientists warn, it could unleash a wave of catastrophic climate change.
It added that in order to tackle the warming, countries should focus on cutting methane emissions as well as carbon dioxide.
“The alarm bells are deafening,” Guterres said in a statement. “This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet.
“If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.”
The IPCC report comes just three months before the UK hosts the UN’s COP26 climate summit, where nations will be under pressure to pledge ambitious climate action and substantial financing.
Boris Johnson described it as a “wake-up call for the world to take action now”.
“Today’s report makes for sobering reading, and it is clear that the next decade is going to be pivotal to securing the future of our planet”, he added.
“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.”
COP26 president Alok Sharma added: “Our message to every country, government, business and part of society is simple. The next decade is decisive, follow the science and embrace your responsibility to keep the goal of 1.5C alive.
“We can do this together, by coming forward with ambitious 2030 emission reduction targets and long-term strategies with a pathway to net zero by the middle of the century, and taking action now to end coal power, accelerate the roll out of electric vehicles, tackle deforestation and reduce methane emissions.”