We Are Not Ready for Climate Change

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A new study published in the journal Science Advances gives us new warnings to try harder to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At the present time, the study shows that we are still lagging behind the goals in the Paris Accords and the consequences can be overwhelming. The possibility of heat, drought, and extreme rainfall could increase in 90 percent of North America, Europe and East Asia.

One study author, Noah Diffenbaugh who is a professor of earth systems science at Stanford University, said we are not ready for today's climate, let alone global warming by another degree.

You need to know, one of the main points of the Paris 2015 Agreement is to keep the global temperature rise rate to 2100 below 2 degrees Celsius, with an ideal target of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The 0.5 degrees Celsius difference may sound small, but studies show that its effect on extreme weather possibilities is remarkable.

Unfortunately, data from the UN Environment Program shows that the greenhouse gas emissions reductions that we are doing now still increase global temperatures by up to 3.2 degrees Celsius. Some countries do not even seem to make any effort at all.

The researchers said that we should immediately tighten the belt if we want to meet the target of the Paris Accord. They also warned that our greenhouse gas emissions will now be in the atmosphere for decades to come.

Reference
Kompas
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