The world has only a few years left to deal with climate change – or face blistering heat waves, rising seas and a ‘shocking rise in hunger,’ a UN report has warned. To contain warming at 1.5C, manmade global net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions would need to fall by about 45% by 2030, the report warned. Otherwise, the world will face rising seas, deadly heat waves, floods and shrinking ice caps – and it may not be possible to get climate change under control.
‘Scientists might want to write in capital letters, ‘ACT NOW IDIOTS’, but they need to say that with facts and numbers,’ said Kaisa Kosonen, from Greenpeace, who observed the negotiations. ‘And they have.’