2019 ended with a global average temperature of 1.1°C above estimated pre-industrial levels
under the 2015 Paris Agreement, every country in the world agreed to keep global temperatures well below 2 degrees celsius, otherwise we would risk natural tipping points that would surpass CO2 levels and global temperatures uncontrollably higher
“stabilising global warming at 1.5C will be extremely difficult if not impossible at this point” - michael mann professor of atmospheric science
the IPCC’s report lays out various pathways to stabilise global warming at 1.5degrees. these solutions all require unprecedented efforts to cut fossil-fuel use in half in less than 15 years and eliminate their use almost entirely in 30 years. this means no home, business or industry heated by gas or oil; no vehicles powered by diesel or gasoline; all coal and gas power plants to be shut
in addition to this, up to 3.86 million square miles (10 million square kilometres) of forests to be added by 2050. every pound of carbon dioxide emitted in the last hundred years will continue to trap heat in the atmosphere for hundreds of years to come. by 2045 or 2050 there will still be too much CO2 in the atmosphere. more forests will be essential to stabilise global temperatures at 1.5degrees
“forests provide a super-important service to humanity by currently removing about 25 percent of our CO2”
when the wood from mature forests is converted into furniture or buildings CO2 can be stored for the long term. the world’s forests contain more carbon than exploitable oil, gas, and coal deposits. “our planet’s future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forests”