The University of Leads’ annual climate change report issues a pressing wake-up call, highlighting the alarming surge of human-induced global warming and the rapidly shrinking carbon budget.
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The Climate Change report by the university sounds an urgent alarm about rapidly accelerating human-induced global warming. Human-induced warming has surged at an unprecedented rate of roughly 0.26°C per decade over the 2014-2023 period, demanding immediate attention.
This alarming rate is driven by a combination of consistently high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, equivalent to 53 billion tonnes of CO2 per year, and ongoing reductions in atmospheric aerosols that previously provided a cooling effect.
The analysis also highlighted that the volume of carbon dioxide that can still be emitted before committing the world to 1.5°C of global warming is shrinking rapidly.
According to the report, the remaining carbon budget now stands at a mere 200 gigatonnes (billion tonnes), equivalent to just five years' worth of current emissions, a stark reminder of the urgent need for change.
In 2020, it was estimated that the remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C was between 300 and 900 gigatonnes by the IPCC or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, continued CO2 emissions and global warming have rapidly depleted this budget.
The report recommends immediate and decisive action to reduce GHG emissions and limit further warming.
The report's release comes as climate experts gather in Bonn to prepare for the COP29 climate conference in November, where countries will be expected to present improved climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions) for reducing the level of emissions and helping the world to adapt to climate impacts.
The report features the Climate Change Tracker's Indicators of Global Climate Change dashboard, providing easy access to updated information on essential climate indicators to bridge the "information gap" caused by the IPCC's infrequent major assessments. It emphasises the urgent need to act swiftly and decisively to mitigate further warming and build resilience against the inevitable consequences of a rapidly changing climate.
