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A new climate report brings dire warnings and some optimism

Palestinians ride a paddle board on a flooded street following heavy rain at the Al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza strip.
Palestinians ride a paddle board on a flooded street following heavy rain at the Al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza strip.

On Monday, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its synthesis report. It looks at the vast amounts of research on global warming compiled since the Paris Climate Accord in 2015.

It was full of grim warnings. The report found that the world is likely to surpass its most ambitious climate target — limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures — by the early 2030s.

“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”

But there were alsosomemessages of hope–based ontheinfluence of policymakers,the investment of billions ofdollars, and changes that need to be deployed at accelerated rates. 

We unpack what’s in the report and what some of the recommendations in it are. 

Copyright 2023 WAMU 88.5

Maya Garg
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