"United Nations": Keeping global warming within "1.5 degrees" is now impossible - Sarmad
The United Nations has announced that keeping global warming within the 1.5-degree Celsius limit compared to pre-industrial levels is no longer feasible, with projections indicating this threshold will be exceeded in the coming years.
Earth’s current temperature is approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The consequences are evident in many regions: drought threatens agricultural crops, wildfires intensify in southern Europe, glaciers are melting at an accelerating pace, and the oceans are setting new temperature records. Compounding these risks is the “El Niño” phenomenon, a natural event that temporarily raises temperatures and exacerbates these dangers.
The greatest danger lies in the emergence of tipping points, such as the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, disruption of Atlantic Ocean currents, and the transformation of the Amazon rainforest from the “planet’s lungs” into a carbon source. These processes may become irreversible. Pacific island nations are particularly vulnerable.
However, opportunities remain. If fossil fuels are phased out rapidly, experts estimate that temperatures could peak at around 1.8 degrees Celsius before beginning to decline. Achieving this requires reducing emissions, restoring ecosystems, and developing technologies to capture carbon dioxide from the air.
This will entail not only reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, but also removing one gigaton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Proposed methods include natural approaches, such as afforestation and ecological restoration, and technological solutions, such as rock weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement.
The Paris Agreement has yielded some results. Whereas the world was previously on track for a 3.6-degree Celsius temperature rise by 2100, current trajectories point to an increase of approximately 2.6 degrees Celsius. In recent years, there has been a massive surge in solar energy and electric transport: while it took 70 years to install the first terawatt of solar capacity, the third terawatt was installed in just two years.
Nevertheless, global emissions have so far only stabilized and have not yet begun to decline. Addressing the climate crisis demands immediate, collective action.
