Earth's temperature is approaching a critical limit - UN
Global warming should not exceed 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial period, but the likelihood of achieving this goal is low.
Earth's temperature is approaching a critical limit - UN
The consequences of global warming have already taken a destructive form.
"In the best-case scenario, global warming should not exceed 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial period. It was precisely this limit that the global community agreed to adhere to at the climate conference in Paris in 2015. However, more than a decade later, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the probability of achieving this goal is very low," the article states.
He emphasized that the consequences of climate change have already become catastrophic: deadly floods, extreme heatwaves, large-scale wildfires, human casualties, paralyzed economies, and growing inequality are among them.
"Those who have contributed the least are suffering first and most," Guterres said. For this reason, it is crucial that the overshoot above the 1.5 °C limit be as small as possible.
According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), for warming to exceed this limit by only a few tenths of a degree and reach 1.7–1.8 °C by the middle of the century, global greenhouse gas emissions must decrease by more than 6 percent annually until 2035 compared to 2025 levels.
In reality, however, emission volumes are increasing year by year. The burning of coal, oil, and gas remains the main cause of this.
At the same time, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasizes that achievements in recent years show that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is still possible.
According to her, since the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement, renewable energy and electricity generation capacities in the world have grown three times faster than expected. Solar energy, particularly the development of photovoltaic installations, progressed seven times faster than forecasts. Meanwhile, the growth rate of coal use for electricity generation turned out to be lower than predicted.
The report states that strict policy is the most effective way to change the situation. However, if governments continue to act as before, global warming could reach 2.8 °C by the end of the century.