Humanity still has a chance, close to the last one, to prevent the worst of climate change ‘s future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday.
But doing so requires quickly slashing carbon pollution and fossil fuel use by nearly two-thirds by 2035, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said.
The United Nations chief said it more bluntly, calling for an end to new fossil fuel exploration and rich countries quitting coal, oil and gas by 2040. “Humanity is on thin ice – and that ice is melting fast,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts – everything, everywhere, all at once.” Read more: Climate change slowing down, not speeding up, movement of large Arctic rivers: study Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres not only called for “no new coal” but also for eliminating its use in rich countries by 2030 and poor countries by 2040.
He urged carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants too. That date is key because nations soon have to come up with goals for pollution reduction by 2035, according to the Paris climate agreement.