The global toll from weather-related disasters in 2018 was more than $200 billion, and annual losses in the United States alone averaged around $100 billion during 2014-18. And the latest climate science tells us that there is much worse to come unless we abide by the 1.5ºC limit.
NEW YORK – The global climate agenda has been greatly clarified in recent years. We now know that Earth’s average temperature is on a path to increase by around 3º Celsius, relative to preindustrial levels, by 2100, which is twice the 1.5ºC limit targeted by the 2015 Paris climate agreement. We know that weather-related damage is rapidly mounting. We know that to stay below the 1.5ºC threshold, we need to reach zero net greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, with net negative emissions thereafter. And we know that reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 is feasible and affordable. All we lack is action.
NEW YORK – The global climate agenda has been greatly clarified in recent years. We now know that Earth’s average temperature is on a path to increase by around 3º Celsius, relative to preindustrial levels, by 2100, which is twice the 1.5ºC limit targeted by the 2015 Paris climate agreement. We know that weather-related damage is rapidly mounting. We know that to stay below the 1.5ºC threshold, we need to reach zero net greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, with net negative emissions thereafter. And we know that reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 is feasible and affordable. All we lack is action.