UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that failing to reduce global emissions will put the globe on a “catastrophic” road to 2.7°C warming. A United Nations analysis of 191 nations’ emissions pledges revealed they would fall short of the 2015 Paris climate agreement’s goal. The Paris Agreement aims to restrict human-caused heating up to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In support of this, Scientists have stated that failing to fulfill this target will result in a massive loss of life and livelihoods.

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Exploring The Devastating Consequences Of 2.7°C Warming.

The majority of people live in areas with typical annual temperatures of approximately 13 °C or 25 °C. Outside these parameters, the weather is either too hot, cold, or dry. According to scientists, every 0.1 degree of warming beyond current levels will expose around 140 million people to harsh weather. The continued rise in temperature to 2.7 °C means that by 2030, about 2 billion people, or 20%, will be living beyond their niche. This figure might rise to 3.7 billion by 2090.

Uncomfortable weather patterns are frequently associated with greater death rates, reduced food output, and worse economic growth. It can also impede cognition, have negative pregnancy outcomes, reduces crop productivity, and transmit infectious illnesses. Every country will suffer from this increase in temperature, but undeveloped and developing countries will bear the brunt of it.

Steps To Prevent Unprecedented Human Suffering

Rich countries must respond more quickly than their low-income peers. Also, rich developed countries need to support developing countries in achieving their zero net emission goals. Developing countries like China and India can also try to achieve their net zero emissions before 2060 and 2070. They must accelerate their carbon-cutting efforts alongside industrialized nations.

Global leaders must promote the shift to renewable energy. The shift to clean energy needs to be done faster. We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving public health by electrifying automobiles and trucks, boosting public transit, and constructing bicycle and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. It is true that without drastic action in the coming decades, we are unlikely to limit global warming to a minimum in this century. However, the more we exceed that threshold, the more dramatic and pervasive the negative consequences will be, implying that it is never “too late” to take action.

Also Read: What Does 2° C of Global Warming Look Like?