The U.N. World Meteorological Organization, part of the U.N. Environment Programme, released a report earlier today, stating that the 1.5C target of the Paris accord is on the brink of not being achievable. It notes we have the technologies and policy knowledge to do it, but need to act now. We need to act NOW.
Please call your governor and state senator representative, federal senators and representative, and county or city officials and ask them to act. There are things that can be done at every level.
The report states:
- “On current unconditional pledges, the world is heading for a 3.2°C temperature rise”
- “Technologies and policy knowledge exist to cut emissions, but transformations must begin now”
- “G20 nations account for 78 per cent of all emissions, but 15 G20 members have not committed to a timeline for net-zero emissions”
A 60 second video about the report:
https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/video/brink-emissions-gap-report-findings-60-seconds
The report also states: “Renewables and energy efficiency, in combination with electrification of end uses, are key to a successful energy transition and to driving down energy-related CO2 emissions.” The report has a list of actions, including phasing out coal, expanding renewable energy, decarbonizing transport and focusing on electric mobility. (p. XII, executive summary).
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30798/EGR19ESEN.pdf?sequence=13
Petteri Taalas, the WMO secretary-general, said: “There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, despite all the commitments under the Paris agreement on climate change. We need to increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future welfare of mankind.
“It is worth recalling that the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of carbon dioxide was 3-5m years ago. Back then, the temperature was 2-3C warmer and sea level was 10-20 metres higher than now.” (10-20 meters is 32-65 feet).
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/25/climate-heating-greenhouse-gases-hit-new-high-un-reports
