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A report* by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that humankind has just 12 years to stop the current pace of climate change – before it increases by 1.5C.
The research, by leading global scientists, warned this increase in temperature will lead to overheating, flooding, and other extreme weather conditions which will have dire impacts on humanity.
A list of changes people can implement to stop this temperature increase includes moving away from land-intensive animal products, electrifying transport and developing ‘green infrastructure’ such as building green roofs. Scientists describe the required changes as ‘rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented’.
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The scientists added that we are already seeing the impact of climate change in the form of extreme weather, rising sea levels, and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other situations.
They said some of the changes needed to slow the temperature rise are already being implemented, ‘but they would need to accelerate’. They see the report being part of these changes.
“This report gives policymakers and practitioners the information they need to make decisions that tackle climate change while considering local context and people’s needs,” said Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II. “The next few years are probably the most important in our history.”
*The full report is called Global Warming of 1.5°C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty.
You can find it here
