Leading scientists worldwide delivered a striking dose of reality to the United Nations on Sunday: it’s “becoming inevitable” that countries will miss the ambitious target they set eight years ago for limiting the warming of the Earth.
The ominous estimate points to the growing likelihood that global warming will shoot past 1.5 degrees Celsius before the end of this century, inflicting what scientists describe as an overwhelming toll from intensifying storms, drought and heat on people and the economy. It also injects an urgent message into global climate talks in Dubai, where the debate over ramping down fossil fuels is set to flare over the next two weeks.
Surpassing the temperature threshold — even temporarily — would be a major blow to the international Paris climate agreement from 2015, which called for nations to keep global temperatures well within 2 degrees Celsius of their preindustrial levels, and within 1.5 degrees if at all possible. The findings come amid climate talks that for the first time are focused on taking stock of whether almost 200 nations are meeting that goal. Early indications offer a bleak picture.
Looking forward to the water wars when we can all ask ourselves, was it worth it.
The United States and China will be the biggest winners of climate change. The nation’s around the equator will be the biggest losers.
Don’t be so sure. We in the US are already struggling with refugees at our border; that problem will intensify exponentially as warming increases.
Tell me why this will not end in a massacre? The Western nations are already electing fascist leaders with a minor refugee crisis. When the situation worsens, borders will be closed, people will be shot or otherwise “taken care of”. I wish it weren’t so, but with our history and current trajectory, why is it not going to end like that?
