UN Climate Change Report

On Monday, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report indicating that the world is on track to fall short of its most ambitious climate goal of restricting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels within the next ten years. Scientific research suggests that once this threshold is crossed, climate-related catastrophes will become so severe that humans will be unable to adapt. Heatwaves, famines, and infectious diseases will take millions more lives, and fundamental components of the Earth's systems will be permanently and irreversibly changed.

The evaluation released on Monday summarizes several years of research on the origins and effects of increasing temperatures, prompting U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to call on developed nations such as the United States to eradicate carbon emissions by 2040, ten years before the rest of the planet.

“Climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and planetary health,” the report says. “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years.”

“Every country must be part of the solution,” Guterres said. “Demanding others move first only ensures humanity comes last.”

Guterres emphasized the need for developing countries like China and India, who have set net-zero targets of 2060 and 2070, respectively, to accelerate their efforts to reduce emissions in line with developed nations. Additionally, both the IPCC and the U.N. Secretary General urged the world to phase out coal, oil, and gas, which are responsible for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions.