As record heatwaves, wildfires and floods are hitting countries around the world, a shocking UN report has warned that the Earth will warm by 2.7F (1.5° C) within the next 20 years.
This is a decade earlier than some previous predictions
Scientists had expected temperatures to rise by 1.5° C between 2030 and 2052. But now they believe that it will happen much earlier than that.
The United Nations report is being called a “code red for humanity”
‘It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse,’ said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research. ‘I don’t see any area that is safe… Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.’
The report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was produced by more than 200 scientists from 60 countries across the world. Here are some of the key findings from the report:
- 5 degrees Celsius of global warming will have devastating effects on Earth. Earth will see more regular ‘extreme’ weather – longer warm seasons and shorter cold seasons.
- A rise of 2 meters in sea levels by the end of this century is a possibility. There will be a dramatic loss of sea-life.
- The Arctic could be practically sea ice-free at least once before 2050.
- Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere can be higher than they have been for three million years.
The future is in our hands
IPCC report also states that many of these dire effects of climate change can still be avoided if we take aggressive action now.
