Survival guide for humanity

Rarely before has the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned so clearly about climate change in its synthesis report and called for drastic measures to reduce CO2 emissions. This is because the 1.5 degree limit will already be exceeded in the next decade.

In its final report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) comes to the conclusion that climate change is progressing faster and its consequences are more devastating than initially thought. In order to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5 or a maximum of two degrees Celsius, greenhouse gas emissions would have to be drastically reduced before the end of this decade.

"The speed and scope of the measures taken so far and the current plans are insufficient to combat climate change," the scientists agree. Even "only" temporarily exceeding the 1.5 degree limit would have irreversible consequences, such as rising sea levels or melting glaciers. According to the UN, however, the world is heading for a temperature rise of up to 2.6 degrees, even with the pledges made to date to reduce greenhouse gases.

"Climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet," the report states. Almost half of the world's population lives in regions that are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the devastating consequences of climate change, but also sees an opportunity to prevent them. "The climate time bomb is ticking. But today's IPCC report is a guide to defusing the climate time bomb. It is a survival guide for humanity".

Click here for the German translation of the main statements of the 6th synthesis report

Further articles on the IPCC report:

https://news.pro.earth/2023/03/23/es-ist-ernst-aber-nicht-hoffnungslos/

https://news.pro.earth/2023/03/24/was-bedeutet-eigentlich-klimagerechtigkeit/

https://news.pro.earth/2023/03/26/was-wir-fuer-die-zukunft-brauchen-realitaetssinn-hoffnung-und-schnellkraft/