Humanity can still avoid the consequences of climate change, but this requires immediate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening of adaptation measures.
“Elchi” reports citing AZERTAC that this is stated in a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The report notes that record heat waves, devastating floods, and other extreme weather events indicate that the planet is warming rapidly. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, it is likely that temperatures will exceed the 1.5-degree warming limit set by the Paris Agreement in the coming years.
UNEP head Inger Andersen emphasized the necessity of doubling efforts to reduce emissions, increase resilience, and adapt to the consequences of climate change. The UN believes that in order to limit long-term consequences for people and ecosystems, even if the 1.5-degree threshold is exceeded, it should be as minimal and short-lived as possible.
According to the report, this requires accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels, expanding the use of renewable energy sources, reducing methane emissions, as well as protecting forests, land, and oceans. Governments are advised to implement and strengthen national climate plans, and developed countries are urged to increase funding for adaptation measures for the most vulnerable states.
The report’s authors warn that with every increase in temperature, the risks of extreme weather events and damage to health, food and water security, infrastructure, and the economy will increase. Furthermore, the probability of reaching irreversible climate “tipping points,” including the destabilization of major ice sheets and the degradation of the Amazon rainforest, continues to rise.