Climate Alarms: Rapid Warming and its Implications

The IPCC warns of accelerated climate change impacts, highlighting unexpected temperature rise and extreme weather events. IPCC Chair Jim Skea emphasizes the need for more aggressive emissions cuts beyond the outdated 43% target by 2030, and stresses the importance of engaging societies in climate action while acknowledging shifting scientific publications to the Global South.

Climate impacts are accelerating faster than scientists predicted, surprise grips the scientific community over the rapid rise in global temperatures, stated Jim Skea, the chair of the UN climate panel, in a recent interview.

Speaking at the World Sustainable Development Summit, Skea lamented the lack of action over the past three years, which has worsened global climate conditions. He noted that 2024 marked the hottest year on record, with temperatures soaring 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Skea criticized the outdated target of a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030, stressing that current inaction means deeper cuts are necessary. He highlighted the role of attribution science in pinpointing human-triggered climate events, and called for societal involvement in climate policies, countering perceptions that measures are forced upon communities.

(With inputs from agencies.)