The target of keeping long-term global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) is moving out of reach, climate experts say, with nations failing to set more ambitious goals.
We’re already in the realm of no return to historical norms, barring some dramatic innovation on carbon sequestration. But I will push back against the sentiment among some that we’re totally fucked and there’s no point in fighting anymore. Current projections are for some very bad things but we are on track to avoid the absolute worst scenarios, and emissions reductions will actually have a bigger impact now than had we implemented them sooner.
Why? The harm from climate change will be exponentially worse the farther and faster it progresses. A mildly warmer world will create minor problems and possibly even some benefits, but substantial warming will come with more dire catastrophes. And on the extreme end (though unlikely) collapse of world economic systems may become a possibility. At each step the consequences become bigger and bigger, and so the more urgently we need to fight for emissions reductions.
We’re already in the realm of no return to historical norms, barring some dramatic innovation on carbon sequestration. But I will push back against the sentiment among some that we’re totally fucked and there’s no point in fighting anymore. Current projections are for some very bad things but we are on track to avoid the absolute worst scenarios, and emissions reductions will actually have a bigger impact now than had we implemented them sooner.
Why? The harm from climate change will be exponentially worse the farther and faster it progresses. A mildly warmer world will create minor problems and possibly even some benefits, but substantial warming will come with more dire catastrophes. And on the extreme end (though unlikely) collapse of world economic systems may become a possibility. At each step the consequences become bigger and bigger, and so the more urgently we need to fight for emissions reductions.