5 Key Takeaways From the Latest Climate Change Report

Researchers on climate change are adamant: Global leaders should act immediately to end reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions –otherwise, expect irreversible damage by the year 2100. The United Nations has released the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which “pulls together the conclusions of three IPCC working groups, which issued reports over the past year on the underlying science, the impacts, and the ways to address climate change,” reports Elizabeth Shogren for National Geographic. The report urges global leaders to promote sustainability by preparing for a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, requiring countries to reduce emissions by specific levels, by the end of 2015. Arguments over how much developed and developing countries should reduce emissions once stalled agreement. But most agree that all countries should reduce emissions, especially after China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest emitter. The IPCC report suggests the world must cut greenhouse emissions by at least 40 percent by 2050, then keep cutting to zero by 2100. Otherwise, costs of property damage, health care and food shortages associated with volatile weather will continue to climb undoing years of economic and social progress. – YaleGlobal