In fact, we’d basically have to bring the runaway truck to a complete and immediate halt.
Can we limit this overshoot?
And how might we do that?
It came to an unsurprising conclusion: Countries need to act by increasing the ambition of their climate pledges.
And they need to act now.
The 1.5 degree rise has long been seen as a critical mark in the fight against climate change.
That could make a big impact on the health of humans and the environment.
“Every tenth of a degree counts.
Every year of overshoot counts,” McJeon said.
While overshooting 1.5 is bad (and itisbad), 2 degrees of warming is even worse.
A 1.5 degree increase would be locked in by the end of the decade.
Thoughthe 1.5 degree target is practically dead, the situation isn’t hopeless.
Now more than ever, there’s reason to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting more ambitious goals.
But, Iyer notes, ambition alone is not enough.
We also need action – investing in renewables andtechnologies like carbon captureand rapidlytransforming our energy systems and infrastructure.
As dignitaries and policymakers meet in Egypt, McJeon has a pretty simple message.
“I hope they read our paper,” he said.
Updated Nov. 11: Added details on Carbon Budget.
