UN panel says global emissions must peak in just three years to stay below 1.5°C

According to a report conducted by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there must be “rapid, deep and immediate” cuts in the emissions of carbon dioxide.

The report added that the total global emissions of the gas would need to hit their peak within three years in order to avoid the worst of the effects. 

Still, the IPCC has said that the world would need new technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the mid-century. In an approval review session, scientists as well as government officials went through the report one line at a time, and the IPCC published its guidance on what can be done in order to reduce those emissions.

The findings demonstrated, though, that even if all the policies that governments implemented by the end of 2020 were fulfilled, the world would still increase in temperature by 3.2 degrees Celsius this century.

“Some government and business leaders are saying one thing – but doing another. Simply put, they are lying, and the results will be catastrophic,” said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

He added that this magnitude of temperature rise would mean Earth is hit by “unprecedented heatwaves, terrifying storms, and widespread water shortages.” 

To avoid such detrimental results, according to scientists, the rise in temperatures needs to remain at or under 1.5 degrees Celsius this century. Still, keeping the temperatures down will not be easy and will require massive alterations to energy production, industry, transport, and consumption patterns.

“I think the report tells us that we’ve reached the now-or-never point of limiting warming to 1.5C,” said IPCC lead author Heleen De Coninck. “We have to peak our greenhouse gas emissions before 2025 and after that, reduce them very rapidly.”