ABOVE: FLICKR, FREERUNNERING
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 ...
