The 2022 IPCC report on climate change revealed that carbon emissions from 2010-19 have been the highest in human history, indicating that the world is barreling toward a disaster. Scientists have urged the world to act by stating that it is ‘now or never’ to curb global warming to 1.5 degrees. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that unless governments across the globe reassess their energy policies, the world will not be fit to live in.
The latest findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) plainly reflect the urgency to reduce fossil fuel use extensively and improve greener energy sources. In a video message, Guterres said that without stringent and urgent action, several major cities around the world will be underwater, with escalated and exacerbated events of “unprecedented heatwaves, terrifying storms, widespread water shortages and the extinction of a million species of plants and animals”.
The UN chief further added;
This is not fiction or exaggeration. It is what science tells us will result from our current energy policies. We are on a pathway to global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree (Celsius, or 2.7-degrees Fahrenheit) limit.
Written by hundreds of leading scientists and agreed by 195 nations, the 2022 IPCC report documented that greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity have amplified since 2010 across all major sectors worldwide.
Image: Sebastian Rich/UNICEF
The report titled “Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change” said that towns and cities are contributing exponentially to an increasing share of emissions. It urged governments to act quickly to reduce emissions. It also said that the world needs to reduce 45 percent emissions this decade.
IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee said;
We are at a crossroads. The decisions we make now can secure a livable future. I am encouraged by climate action being taken in many countries. There are policies, regulations and market instruments that are proving effective. If these are scaled up and applied more widely and equitably, they can support deep emissions reductions and stimulate innovation.
The report has drawn a now or never scenario where if the emissions are not reduced right now, the results could be catastrophic. These findings will play a key role in international negotiations to tackle climate change.
If the world warms at this rate and exceeds the 1.5 degrees mark, many coastal cities will drown and we soon may require Noah’s Ark to save life on the earth.