United Nations climate change report: "We have solutions"
Shashank/Unsplash
Experts say it's not too late for climate action
The IPCC climate change report published yesterday confirmed what many of us are experiencing firsthand—the climate crisis is here, getting worse and faster than we thought. The United Nations experts who authored the briefing also highlighted that we have the tools and solutions at hand to temper this crisis right now.
Communities across the country—and the world—have been facing harsh weather events, water shortages and food insecurity. Over 40 percent of the global population is now considered "highly vulnerable" to climate impacts. Meanwhile, wildlife is disappearing or being forced to move to higher ground. Up to 14 percent of species will be at risk of extinction if the world continues down this path.
However, there’s still time to turn things around.
Efforts to reduce the climate pollution that’s warming up the planet—including pollution coming from fossil fuel development on public lands—are more urgent than ever. The report also emphasizes the need to increase renewable energy production and conserve nature to remove and store as much carbon dioxide from the air as possible.
Here are some of the solutions in the report:
