Time is running out

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a landmark report on Monday on ‘Climate Change 2021’. The report brings-out some stark messages: Climate change is not a problem of the future. It is here and now and is affecting every region in the world. It is especially felt in the Mediterranean where record high temperatures have contributed to a massive surge in wildfires.

The report states that it is no longer possible to stop global warming from intensifying over the next 30 years — with some devastating impacts now unavoidable — but there is still a short window to stop things from getting even more harrowing.

The planet has already heated by about 1.1 degree Celsius since 1900, with the main contribution coming from burning fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — for energy.