Data recently published by the Copernicus agency, the European Union’s Earth observation program, provides alarming information for humanity: 2024 could be the hottest year. It will also be the first country to exceed the critical limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels set in the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Copernican experts warn that exceeding this limit could lead to devastating and potentially irreversible effects for the planet’s vital systems, such as the violation of critical tipping points. When this situation occurs, in addition to sudden, rapid and even irreversible changes, the climate system takes on a “new normal” with unpredictable and devastating consequences.
To avoid even more disastrous consequences, Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess advised countries meeting at COP 29 in Azerbaijan from Monday (11) to “step up their ambition” on climate action. The UN report, published on the eve of the meeting in Baiku, predicts an increase in global temperatures between 2.6 °C and 3.1 °C over this century, well past the 1.5 °C limit.
Global warming fuels climate chaos
The energy added to the climate system by rising global temperatures is fueling and intensifying some recent extreme weather events, such as hurricanes in the United States and deadly floods in southern Brazil and Spain. This is because global warming changes the patterns of temperature, humidity, atmospheric and ocean currents.
Man’s hand is behind these changes. Greenhouse gases, the main drivers of global warming, come from burning fossil fuels for electricity and heat. The concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere reached such high levels that they doomed the world to rising temperatures for many years.
In this bleak scenario, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued a strong appeal to countries to halt new gas and oil field projects; This measure is considered necessary. To avoid the even more dire consequences of climate change.
Integrating urban realities with climate change
The UN recently published the 2024 World Cities Report from the UN-Habitat program in order to support COP29 discussions. The report warned that more than two billion people will face an additional 0.5 °C temperature in 2020 as a result of climate change and rapid urbanization. Temperature by 2040.
The document reveals a significant financing gap for building and sustaining urban systems and services that can resist and adapt to the effects of climate change. This resilient urban infrastructure is estimated to cost $5.4 trillion annually. Available funding of only 831 billion exposes vulnerable populations to increased risks.
Recognizing the major challenges, the document advocates a focus on cities as the basis of the climate solution. It recommends that climate action be participatory and community-led and target appropriate local solutions.
Follow the latest studies on the impacts of the global climate crisis at TecMundo. If you wish, understand why melting at the poles affects the Earth’s rotation and increases the length of days.
Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
