Global warming of 1.5 degrees is fast approaching –

Heads of government and heads of state will meet this autumn for a world climate summit. There they will continue to negotiate on reducing CO2 emissions. The commitments countries have made so far do not meet what is needed to meet the Paris targets. The new analysis only adds to the need to stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible, according to the WMO.

The UN climate panel, the IPCC, has also released a large-scale three-part report on the seriousness of the climate problem over the past ten months. It has been shown that some aspects of climate change can become irreversible for centuries or even thousands of years. According to the IPCC, global warming has already caused major changes on Earth: in the atmosphere, land and oceans.

The IPCC said evidence of more extreme weather events is mounting. These include heat waves, heavy rainfall, extreme droughts and tropical cyclones. The report also shows that the oceans are warming at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, according to the Climate Panel, there are enough solutions, but they must be deployed quickly and on a large scale. Otherwise, the 1.5 degree target will disappear permanently.

not a random stat

“The 1.5 degree figure is not an arbitrary statistic,” said WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas. “Rather, it’s indicative of the point at which climate impacts will increasingly harm people and even the entire planet.” As long as humans continue to emit greenhouse gases, temperatures will continue to rise, he says.

“In addition, the oceans will become warmer and more acidic, sea ice and glaciers will continue to melt, sea levels will continue to rise and ours will become more extreme again.”