Report: Action Needed Now in Climate Crisis

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for “unprecedented” changes to prevent the Earth’s atmosphere climbing more than 1.5° C above preindustrial levels.

Written byJef Akst

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The world still has a chance to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5° C above preindustrial levels, but major, immediate changes will be necessary, according to a report released today (October 8) by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If temperatures increase by more than this amount, the report argues, the risk of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods could dramatically increase, putting millions of people in danger.

“It’s a line in the sand and what it says to our species is that this is the moment and we must act now,” Debra Roberts, cochair of a working group on the impacts of climate change, tells The Guardian. “This is the largest clarion bell from the science community and I hope it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency.”

Temperatures are currently about 1° C higher than preindustrial levels. At ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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