Page 35 - WEF Reoprt 2020

Governments, markets and, in an increasing temperature rise must be limited to 1.5°C.
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number of societies, voters are awakening This equates to a remaining carbon budget of
to the urgent realities of climate change—it less than 10 more years of emissions at their
is striking harder and more rapidly than current level. 9
many expected. The last five years are on
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track to be the warmest on record. Climate-
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related natural disasters such as hurricanes, Climate realities
droughts and wildfires are becoming more
intense and more frequent, reportedly now The near-term consequences of climate
averaging a disaster a week. Polar ice is change add up to a “planetary emergency”.
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melting more quickly than anticipated, with Implications are catastrophic, wide-ranging
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drastic implications for sea levels and coastal and intersecting. Worse still, the complexity
populations. Severe weather is worsening: of the climate system means that some
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the last year witnessed unprecedented impacts are still unknown. Established
wildfires and devasting storms across the risks include:
globe, sea ice loss in the Arctic and record-
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breaking heatwaves in Europe. Loss of life
More and more species are becoming
Global temperatures today are slightly over extinct (see Chapter 4, Save the Axolotl).
1°C above pre-industrial levels. On the current Humans, too, will experience loss of life—
trajectory set out in countries’ nationally but potentially unequally. Women and
determined contributions (NDCs), which children are 14 times more likely than men
remain largely unchanged in the wake of to die during natural disasters, which are
the most recent UNFCCC Conference of likely to intensify or become more frequent
Parties in Madrid in December (COP 25), because of climate change. The elderly
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that figure will rise to at least 3°C by the end and infirm are also at higher risk. Climate
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of the century. Because each additional change will also lead to increased health
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degree of warming will be proportionally spillovers, burdening already stretched health
more destructive, the damage will accelerate systems, particularly for the poorest and
and be exponential. To avoid the most most vulnerable, including in many low- and
severe economic, social and environmental middle-income countries, as explored in
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consequences, climate experts warn that the Chapter 6, False Positive. REUTERS/DARREN STAPLES

30 A Decade Left