No matter what temperature, sea levels will rise: UN report on climate change
New Delhi : The UN-appointed Intergovernmental Panel on climate change has shared its report on Monday; the report focuses on possible future depending on how dramatically we are cutting the emissions. The IPCC panel is composed of independent experts put forward by governments and organizations to provide the best possible scientific consensus on climate change.
Following are some of the key takeaways from the report.
Blame the humans
The report has claimed that all the heat that has been generated on the planet post industrialization is due to increased emission of gases like carbon dioxide and methane. Much of that is the result of humans burning fossil fuels coal, oil, wood and natural gas.
Earth to cross 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature limit sooner than expected
Almost all countries have signed up to the 2015 Paris climate accord that aims to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) and ideally no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the year 2100, compared to the late 19th century.
The report’s 200-plus authors looked at five scenarios and concluded that all will see the world cross the 1.5-degree threshold in the 2030s sooner than in previous predictions. Three of those scenarios will also see temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
No matter what sea will rise
The report added that no matter what you do, sea levels will rise. Even if global warming were halted at 1.5C, the average sea level would still rise about 2 to 3 meters (6 to 10 feet), and maybe more.
The increase in sea level has paced up because of rising temperatures. Scientists could not rule out extreme rises of more than 15 meters by 2300, if tipping points trigger runaway warming.
Some irreversible changes
The 3,000-plus-page report concludes that ice melt and sea level rise are already accelerating. Wild weather events from storms to heat waves are also expected to worsen and become more frequent.
Because further warming is locked in” due to the greenhouse gases humans have already released into the atmosphere. That means even if emissions are drastically cut, some changes will be irreversible” for centuries, the report said.
