<
https://theconversation.com/failure-is-not-an-option-after-a-lost-decade-on-climate-action-the-2020s-offer-one-last-chance-158913>
"In May 2011, almost precisely a decade ago, the government-appointed Climate
Commission released its inaugural report. Titled
The Critical Decade, the
report’s final section warned that to keep global temperature rises to 2℃ this
century, “the decade between now and 2020 is critical”.
As the report noted, if greenhouse gas emissions peaked around 2011, the
world’s emissions-reduction trajectory would have been easily manageable:
net-zero by around 2060, and a maximum emissions reduction rate of 3.7% each
year. Delaying the emissions peak by only a decade would require a trebling of
this task – a maximum 9% reduction each year.
But, of course, the decade to 2020 did not mark the beginning of the world’s
emissions-reduction journey. Global emissions accelerated before dropping
marginally under COVID-19 restrictions, then quickly rebounding.
Our new report, released today, shows the immense cost of this inaction. It is
now virtually certain Earth will pass the critical 1.5℃ temperature rise this
century – most likely in the 2030s. Now, without delay, humanity must focus on
holding warming to well below 2℃. For Australia, that means tripling its
emissions reduction goal this decade to 75%."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
