Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, says a damning UN report.
The landmark UN document has concluded that if we don’t drastically cut Greenhouse emissions, then the earth will see the disappearance of Arctic Ice, loss of all coral reefs and the end of many island communities.
The report says the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030.
An increase to 2C would risk the lives of millions more people and would drastically increase the risk of drought and rising sea levels.
Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Policymakers commissioned the report at the Paris climate talks in 2016. Donald Trump has promised to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement.
Gro Harlem Brundtland, Acting Chair of The Elders said in a statement. “Climate activists have been calling for decades for leaders to show responsibility and take urgent action, but we have barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done. Further failure would be an unconscionable betrayal of the planet and future generations.”