Brexit: Alok Sharma discusses the 'basis' of any deal with the EU
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Alok Sharma, the UK minister in charge of the COP26 talks to be held in Glasgow this November, has said that the consequences of failure to act would be “catastrophic”. He added: “I don’t think there’s any other word for it. “You’re seeing on a daily basis what is happening across the world.
“Last year was the hottest on record, the last decade the hottest decade on record.”
Mr Sharma has stated that COP26 is the last chance for the Government to “get this right,” stating “we can’t afford to wait two years, five years, 10 years – this is the moment.”
His warning came before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published a comprehensive report showing how close humanity is to irreversible disaster caused by extreme weather.
United Nations (UN) scientists say humanity’s damaging impact on the climate is a “statement of fact”.
The report says that ongoing emissions of warming gases could also see a key temperature limit broken in just over a decade.
Experts warned that heatwaves, flooding and droughts will be more frequent and more intense as the world is set to hit the 1.5C global warming limit in the next two decades.
The authors also show that a rise in sea levels approaching two metres by the end of this century “cannot be ruled out”.
Commenting on the report, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said: “Today’s IPCC Working Group 1 Report is a code red for humanity.
“If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.
“I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.”
Climate activist Greta Thunberg said the report “confirms what we already know… that we are in an emergency.”
She added on Twitter: “We can still avoid the worst consequences, but not if we continue like today, and not without treating the crisis like a crisis.”
There was some “good news,” though.
Dr Joeri Rogelj, climate change lecturer at Imperial College London, said that if the world did achieve net zero by 2050, there was a “significant chance” that we eventually stabilise rising temperatures below 1.5C.
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But lead author Dr Tamsin Edwards told Sky News that unless there are “immediate, rapid and large scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” the 1.5C target will be beyond reach.
The Prime Minister has already announced Ten Point Plan’ to create 250,000 British jobs in clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies.
He wants to lead a “Green Industrial Revolution” to reach the 2050 Net-Zero target.
Mr Johnson said the study made for “sobering reading” and that the next decade would be “pivotal to securing the future of our planet”.
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