On average, the thermometer is now 1.1 degrees higher than a century ago. Above sea this is 0.9 degrees, above land 1.6 degrees. The consequences are visible: more and more extreme heat waves, more floods, more droughts and forest fires and a sea level that will continue to rise for decades, in the worst case to about 2 metres above the current level.
Whether the warming will be limited or surge to as much as 5.7 degrees in 2100 is unpredictable, climate scientists say. Man plays a major role in this. Sudden and irreversible events, such as the melting of the permafrost, the cessation of ocean currents or the drying up of forests, could also have a domino effect, causing warming to accelerate even more. The IPCC paints a doomsday scenario of an unstoppable deluge of natural disasters that can no longer be stopped.
In the most optimistic scenario, according to climate scientists, it is still possible to achieve the 2015 ‘Paris’ target of a 1.5 degree warming on average. To do so, however, greenhouse gas emissions must be truly halved by 2030 and reach zero by 2050.
The climate report can be found on the official website of the IPCC (currently inaccessible).
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