Water Wheel March 2022: Climate Change

Abstract

The UN’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) has been described as a ‘code red for humanity’ . Climate negotiators grappled with its findings during the UN’s recent climate negotiations (COP26) in Glasgow. This landmark study, which will be released in four stages over the next few months, warns of a key temperature limit being broken in just a decade. The scientists involved say there is serious cause for concern. They foresee the crossing of the 1.5 °C threshold rise in temperature from pre-industrial levels may likely occur in the early 2030s. This latest assessment was compiled by 234 climate scientists who considered 14 000 peer-reviewed studies to inform its content. The report contains five scenarios based on varying levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. Under the high and very high emissions scenarios outlined in the assessment, global heating is predicted to reach 3.6 °C and 4.4 °C above pre-industrial levels, respectively, by the end of the century. Even in the intermediate scenario, global warming of 2 °C would be extremely likely to be exceeded.

Categories