It's indisputable that human activity is causing extreme weather events such as wildfires, flooding and heatwaves.
That's according to a groundbreaking report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has examined over 14 thousand climate change studies worldwide.
Human caused climate change is bringing dangerous & disruptive floods, droughts, storms & sea level rise. No country will escape its growing impact.
But we can avoid the worst through urgent, radical emissions reduction. The 2020s are crucial for action. #IPCC #ClimateReport pic.twitter.com/O5pDKc5lzY
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) August 9, 2021
The report found that current emissions will cause temperatures to rise by 1.5 percent over the next 20 years.
So what does this mean?
Well, according to climate scientist Valerie Masson-Delmotte, every half-degree warmer the earth gets, the intensity and frequency of extreme weather grows.
"If we reduce emissions to #NetZero by 2050, we can keep temperatures close to 1.5C." #IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair @valmasdel on today’s release of the #IPCC’s latest #ClimateReport. pic.twitter.com/WKLWLVeWeA
— IPCC (@IPCC_CH) August 9, 2021
So we can expect more heavy precipitation and drought which will have a direct impact on agriculture and our health.
The report found only a rapid reduction in greenhouse gases in the next decade can prevent a climate breakdown.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan says it "isn't impossible" to try and reduce greenhouse gases.
Though he admitted the window for change is getting smaller.
"We can't throw our hands up in the air and say 'This is doomed'", he said.
