Here’s what the UN’s Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has said recently about where our world stands in addressing global heating. “Emissions are still growing at record levels. That means our planet is on course for reaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We need to move from tipping points to turning points for hope.” Further, “we have a choice – collective action or collective suicide. It is in our hands.”
He is only speaking the stark truth from recent climate reports from the UN. The reports say there remains “ no credible pathway to 1.5C in place” and the current level of action puts us on track to experience global temperatures rising by a devastating 2.5 degrees Celcius. We are currently experiencing a rise of 1.15°C.
The 1.5°C limit was the global target agreement agreed at the Paris climate conference in 2015, understood as a target to avoid the worst effects of global heating. So, in spite of recent climate initiatives, in only seven years we are likely aiming at reaching a 2.5°C global rise in average temperatures, rather than a 1.5°C rise.