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DW
2 hours ago
- Science
- DW
'Crunch time' for climate action, scientists warn – DW – 06/19/2025
The world is running out of time to rein in human-driven climate change, with top UN scientists warning that key indicators are now in uncharted territory. The world is on course to crash through a dangerous warming threshold with key climate indicators shifting at an alarming rate, more than 60 top UN scientists have warned. Bill Hare, CEO of think tank Climate Analytics, said Thursday it was "inevitable" that the world would breach the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) limit in around five years "unless emissions are reduced quickly." "If emissions are reduced quickly, rapidly, as we know they can be, there is still a likelihood of exceeding a low overshoot of the 1.5 limit, and by low overshoot, I mean 1.6 degrees," he said during a press briefing at the UN interim climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany. Unless action is taken now, Hare added, it would not be long before the world also "bust through 2 degrees." Low rainfall and resulting water scarcity is one far-reaching impact of the global heating resulting from burning fossil fuels Image: Christoph Hardt/Panama Pictures/picture alliance 'We are already in crunch time' The global surface temperature briefly exceeded the 1.5-degree limit in 2024, as greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation hit a new high. Coal, oil and gas account for more than 80% of global energy consumption, despite increasing investment in renewable energy. Scientists have said crossing the 1.5 limit, first set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement by nearly 200 nations, would see a rise in extreme heat waves, devastating droughts and more intense storms. That increase has already been felt in recent years. The Indicators of Global Climate Change report, out Thursday, says that to have a 50% chance of staying under the threshold, the world can only release 130 billion tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide. At the current rate of CO2 emissions, however, that "carbon budget" will likely be spent by 2028. "We are already in crunch time for these higher levels of warming," co-author Joeri Rogelj, a professor of climate science and policy at Imperial College London, told journalists, adding there was a "very high chance" that the world would "reach and even exceed 1.5 C." The report's authors said the findings should be taken as a reality check by global policymakers. "I tend to be an optimistic person," said lead author Piers Forster, head of the University of Leeds Priestley Centre for Climate Futures in the UK. "But if you look at this year's update, things are all moving in the wrong direction." Kumi Naidoo: 'Pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Sea level rise has doubled The report, a regular update between the landmark UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports released every five to seven years, also highlighted other concerning key climate indicators. Sea level rise has doubled in recent years, up from around 1.8 millimeters per year between 1908 and 2018 to 4.3 mm since 2019, putting coastal cities and small island states at risk. The Earth's energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy entering the atmosphere and the smaller amount leaving it, has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. Until now, 91% of human-caused warming has been absorbed by the oceans, but scientists said they don't know how much longer humanity can rely on them to soak up theis excess heat. Rogelj said actions moving forward now could still "critically change" the rate of warming and limit the increasingly destructive effects of climate change. "It's really the difference between just cruising through 1.5 C towards much higher levels of 2 C or trying to limit warming somewhere in the range of 1.5," he said. Solar energy is booming, but countries have been reluctant to transition fully away from fossil fuels to clean energies Image: Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics/IMAGO Global conflict, Trump's policies weaken climate efforts But action on that front has taken a hit, with global concerns shifting to security and other pressing matters amid multiple ongoing conflicts. Climate experts have pointed out that President Donald Trump's move to target climate action and pull the US out of the Paris agreement could also weaken international efforts to tackle the problem. "You need everybody on board doing the right thing, and this is very difficult," said Brazilian climate secretary Andre Correa do Lago, president of the upcoming COP30 climate summit, speaking with DW before the report was released. Ahead of the summit in November, countries are due to submit their so-called nationally-determined contributions, or NDCs, outlining how much they plan to reduce their domestic emissions by 2035. Until now, only 22 countries have presented their targets. "Most scientists think that with the numbers that are to appear, we probably are going to surpass 1.5," Correa do Lago said. "Depending on the NDCs, we will be able to evaluate which is the path that we are following." Louise Osborne contributed to reporting from the COP30 preparatory talks in Bonn, Germany. Edited by: Tamsin Walker
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Prioritise fossil fuel phaseout: Scientists urge COP30 President
Over 250 scientists from 27 countries, including India, have written to the president of this year's UN climate conference, urging him to make the transition away from fossil fuels a top priority for COP30 . Climate physicist and signatory Bill Hare handed over the letter in person to COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago during the mid-year climate conference in Bonn, Germany. "We strongly urge you to use your substantial global platform to champion a fast, fair, effective and full phaseout of fossil fuels. The science is clear: the burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change and its disastrous impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people all around the world," the letter read. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement , which aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. "Yet, a decade later, we remain well short of our goals. The last 10 years were also the 10 hottest years in history. The world has now exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming in a single year for the first time on record," they said. Citing major findings from the past decade of scientific literature, the scientists said that existing fossil fuel infrastructure alone makes the 1.5 degrees Celsius target unattainable. The signatories, including renowned physicist Paulo Artaxo and Friederike Otto, a professor at Imperial College London, said it will be impossible to avoid severe socioeconomic impacts, which will affect humanity for centuries, without a fast, just and planned transition away from fossil fuels.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Prioritise fossil fuel phaseout: Scientists urge COP30 President
Over 250 scientists from 27 countries, including India, have written to the president of this year's UN climate conference, urging him to make the transition away from fossil fuels a top priority for COP30 . Climate physicist and signatory Bill Hare handed over the letter in person to COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago during the mid-year climate conference in Bonn, Germany. "We strongly urge you to use your substantial global platform to champion a fast, fair, effective and full phaseout of fossil fuels. The science is clear: the burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change and its disastrous impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people all around the world," the letter read. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement , which aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. "Yet, a decade later, we remain well short of our goals. The last 10 years were also the 10 hottest years in history. The world has now exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming in a single year for the first time on record," they said. Citing major findings from the past decade of scientific literature, the scientists said that existing fossil fuel infrastructure alone makes the 1.5 degrees Celsius target unattainable. The signatories, including renowned physicist Paulo Artaxo and Friederike Otto, a professor at Imperial College London, said it will be impossible to avoid severe socioeconomic impacts, which will affect humanity for centuries, without a fast, just and planned transition away from fossil fuels.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Experts sound the alarm over global inaction on critical issues: 'We have seen virtually nothing'
The Paris Agreement is an international climate treaty aiming to limit the global temperature increase to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above levels before the Industrial Revolution. In order to meet this goal, nations must work together to make policy changes to reduce their contributions to rising global temperatures. Governments involved knew the initial targets set in 2015 weren't going to cut it, so they agreed to submit updated goals (see them at the Climate Target Update Tracker) by early 2025 that would better align with the limit set by the Paris Agreement. However, a press release from Climate Action Tracker reports that the 2035 target updates fall alarmingly short. According to the press release, most of the proposals submitted don't present a credible pathway to limit global temperature increases to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels. Experts have warned that these insufficient commitments could accelerate environmental damage and make it increasingly difficult to avert catastrophic climate shifts. "The public is entitled to expect a strong reaction from their governments to the fact that global warming has now reached 1.5° for an entire year, but we have seen virtually nothing of real substance," said Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics. Out of the six countries mentioned, only one — the UK — set acceptable targets. And while the U.S. submitted its proposal in December 2024, the Trump administration has since pulled out of the Paris Agreement and walked back on some climate actions. The scientific community has overwhelmingly agreed that human activity, like burning dirty energy resources like oil and coal, contributes to pollution heating the planet, which supercharges extreme weather events and rising sea levels. This affects everyone, causing floods, fires, and storms that destroy communities and harm people. If sea levels continue to rise because of climbing global temperatures, coastal areas like New York and California could disappear into the ocean. Scientists have already debunked the "overshoot myth," which claims we'll have more advanced tech in the future to fix the problems we cause today. So there is an urgency attached to these targets if we want to avoid devastating long-term impacts of our planet overheating. While most countries that submitted targets fell short, others are still pending, including big contributors to pollution, such as the EU, China, and India. Experts have set guidelines for the key elements needed to make climate targets stronger — ambition, finance and fairness, credibility, and transparency. "Every fraction of a degree matters, and we expect governments to use the remaining time to submit ambitious 2035 NDCs and update their 2030 targets that align with the 1.5°C goal and commit to real, transformative action," said professor Niklas Höhne of the NewClimate Institute. Should the government be able to control how we heat our homes? Definitely Only if it saves money I'm not sure No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Individuals can be part of the solution by learning more about critical climate issues. Voting for pro-climate candidates also helps support stronger, more ambitious climate policies at the national level. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
