The assessment of the global "cryosphere"—parts of the Earth covered in ice and snow for at least some of the year—urges upcoming climate talks to commit to keeping warming below 1.5C
A new assessment of the global "cryosphere"—parts of the Earth covered in ice and snow for at least some of the year—urges upcoming climate talks to commit to keeping warming below 1.5C. Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
Allowing global temperatures to rise two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels will be catastrophic for the world's ice sheets, glaciers, polar seas and permafrost, a new report warned Thursday.
The assessment of the global "cryosphere" — parts of the Earth covered in ice and snow for at least some of the year — urges upcoming climate talks to commit to keeping warming below 1.5C.
"Because of what we have learned about the cryosphere since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, 1.5C is not merely preferable to 2C. It is the only option," the report argues.
The Paris Agreement called for warming to be held below 2C, but the United Nations this week said global climate commitments are vastly off-track for that target.
Thursday's report from the non-profit International Cryosphere Climate Initiative says recent research shows only dramatic emissions reductions can prevent irreversible consequences for areas from the Arctic to the Himalayas.