Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Abigail O'Leary

Five chilling predictions from doomsday climate report predicting 'devastating' future

A stark new climate crisis report from the UN has warned of a humanity-threatening rise in temperatures - following "unequivocal" evidence human activity is warming the planet.

The paper, produced by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is the starkest warning yet about the speed and scale of warming - caused by human activity which is damaging the world at an alarming rate.

Experts said the report, which is hoped will trigger a "turning point" in the run-up to the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow in November, paints a "devastating" picture.

An interim report, in 2018, said global warming was likely to reach 1.5C between 2030 and 2052. This report brings this window forward by a decade to between 2021 and 2040.

Here we look at some of the most alarming findings in the IPCC report

Set to pass 1.5C warming by 2040

A firefighter and locals rush to a burning house in an attempt to extinguish forest fires that are approaching the village of Pefki on Evia (Euboea) island, Greece's second largest island (AFP via Getty Images)

The planet is on track to hit 1.5C of global warming within 20 years.

The 1.5C is a limit that countries have pledged to try to avoid breaching because of the dangerous consequences for humanity.

The threshold is closer partly because scientists incorporated new datasets in their estimate of historic temperature rise - including from the fast-warming Arctic.

The new datasets add 0.1C to the estimate of historic warming to current estimates.

High global emissions since the last assessment reports are continuing that trend.

For any chance of meeting the goal seen as essential to the survival of some vulnerable communities and ecosystems, drastic reductions in CO2 would be needed this decade and net zero emissions by 2050, reports Climate Change News.

Human activity is causing extreme weather

Flood waters lap at a high water warning sign that was partially pushed over by Hurricane Florence on Oak Island, North Carolina (REUTERS)

Human activity triggering a worsening climate system, with scientists saying it is “clear” our actions are causing the planet to warm up.

The report said there is “high confidence” that human activities are the main drivers of more frequent or intense heatwaves, glaciers melting, ocean warming and acidification.

“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” the report concludes.

The IPCC used its strongest terms yet to assert that humans are causing climate change, with the first line of its report summary reading: "It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the
atmosphere, ocean and land."

The stark language marked a shift from previous IPCC reports, which had said it was "extremely likely" that industrial activity was to blame.

"There is no uncertainty language in this sentence, because there is no uncertainty that global warming is caused by human activity and the burning of fossil fuels," said IPCC co-author Friederike Otto, a climatologist at University of Oxford.

Accuracy of alarming report

Data models show a rise in global temperatures during a IPCC Press Conference (IPCC)

Since the last 2103 report, the accuracy of climate data models have improved.

This allows for firmer predictions on the world's climate future, as well as an understanding of what global climate impacts will look like in different parts of the world.

Modelling shows that the Arctic is warming faster than other regions and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere are projected to warm by two to four times the level of global warming.

The Gulf Stream could also weaken over the century, according to the report.

Should the Atlantic Ocean current collapse, it could cause mass disruption in weather trends,, weaken African and Asian monsoons and strengthening dry spells in Europe, scientists warn.

Rise in methane levels

Methane has received less attention than CO2 and is not included in most countries’ climate pledges (AFP via Getty Images)

Methane levels are now higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years.

Methane is a gas released into the atmosphere from abandoned coal mines, farming and oil and gas operation.

It has a global warming impact 84 times higher than CO2 over a 20-year period and is responsible for almost a quarter of global warming, reports Climate Change News.

Methane has received less attention than CO2 and is not included in most countries’ climate pledges.

Richard Black, senior associate at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “A sharp reduction in methane would give you a short-term win, but it has largely been ignored by governments to date, all the focus has been on CO2 net zero targets."

Every part of planet and space affected

An iceberg floats in a fjord near Tasiilaq, Greenland (REUTERS)

Professor Stephen Belcher is the Met Office’s Chief Scientist added: “This latest scientific assessment report paints an alarming picture of the drivers of climate change impacts that are disrupting our planet and society.

"It confirms that from the edge of space to the ocean depths human-driven climate change is affecting every region of our planet and every part of the climate system.

“In 2015 in Paris, the world came together to agree a commitment to keep global temperature rise below 2.0°C with an additional aspiration to keep below 1.5°C.

"This latest assessment suggests that without urgent action the opportunity to stay below the 1.5°C threshold is rapidly expiring.

“This report is the starkest yet and presents overwhelming evidence to the delegates of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November that without urgent action we won’t avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.