Temperatures could rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius as early as 2030 if global warming continues at its current pace and the world fails to take rapid and unprecedented measures to stem the increase, experts warned in a landmark UN report today.
The report is seen as the main scientific guide for government policymakers on how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the rise in global average temperatures to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while seeking to tighten the goal to 1.5 degree Celsius.
The report was finalised at a special meeting in South Korea last week.
Meeting the 1.5 degree Celsius limit would demand “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented change in all aspects of society”, the panel said. Temperatures would be 1.5 degree Celsius higher between 2030 and 2052 if the world continues at its current pace, it warned.
The report triggered calls for policymakers to immediately end all fossil fuel subsidies, set a price on carbon, and adopt renewable energy and green technologies.
