According to an alarming new report by a U.N. panel of scientists, humans have just 12 years to get their ecological affairs in order before the environment — and climate change — hits a critical tipping point.
What’s in this report?
The report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that humans have just 12 years to make huge leaps in innovations to reduce global warming to less extreme levels — or suffer major consequences, Vox reported.
The 700-page report, which was released Sunday, claims that the earth is headed for devastating effects of climate change, including deadly flooding, extreme drought, food shortages, the death of coral reefs, and more extreme weather events — such as deadly hurricanes — unless a major and comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is in place before 2030, according to Vox.
The report notes that the earth’s surface has warmed about 1 degree Celsius since the pre-industrial period (prior to the Industrial Revolution). If emissions continue at this rate, according to scientists, the earth could see a further increase that would put total warming at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels sometime between 2030 and 2052. The 1.5-degree threshold is one environmentalist have long claimed should be the cap for worldwide warming, or else the planet will face catastrophic consequences.
