Professor Kevin Anderson, a renowned climate scientist, offers an unfiltered look at the harsh reality of our climate crisis. According to him, at current emission rates:
🌎 For 1.5°C of warming, we have just 4 years before we exhaust the carbon budget.
🌎 For 2.0°C of warming, we have 14 years.
To stay within these limits, global emissions would need to be reduced drastically:
🌏 To achieve 1.5°C, we’d need to cut emissions by 19% annually.
🌏 To achieve 2.0°C, the reduction would need to be 7% annually.
These figures represent the global average, but in the context of climate justice, developed nations like those with historical, high emissions should act more swiftly than developing nations.
While the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5°C may seem out of reach, the real issue is how much damage we can still prevent. However, Anderson points out that this remains “wishful thinking” as long as we prioritize economic growth, expand airports, invest in carbon capture, and ignore the problems with gas power. Without true climate leadership, the window for meaningful change continues to shrink.
Source: UAB
