As the planet notched a new hot streak and scientists predicted another grim milestone on the horizon, the secretary-general of the U.N. warned Wednesday that the world needs "an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell."
Europe's climate agency announced that May marked the 12th consecutive month of recordbreaking global temperatures, a fevered year that startled many scientists because of the dramatic margins by which old records were broken. At the same time, the World Meteorological Organization predicted that at least one of the next five years is likely to temporarily break the 15 C warming threshold.
While one or two years over the 15-degree mark is not the same as tipping over that threshold in the long-term, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that we are edging closer to that being a new normal the outcome the Paris Agreement is designed to avoid and that world leaders have very little time left to avert this larger catastrophe.
"The good news is that we have control of the wheel. The battle to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees will be won or lost in the 2020s under the watch of leaders today," Guterres said in a speech on Wednesday.
"We are playing Russian roulette with our planet," he added.
Esta historia es de la edición June 06, 2024 de Toronto Star.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 06, 2024 de Toronto Star.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
From ice skates to wheels
Hockey dreams dead, Canada's Shaw, Hayward reach podium as cyclists
Chemistry on the court
Finding the right doubles partner isn't all that different from dating
On the fast track to the big leagues
Mix of speed and power could mean short stay in Buffalo for trade deadline pickup Clase
Brampton's Palmer primed for breakout
His fourth season with Chargers may be historic
Senseless tragedy
Loss of Gaudreau brothers hits home on many levels
Insider travel picks
If you like standing in lines, paying peak rates for accommodations and spending each day in an endless calculus of “Is this crowded activity worth the potential heat stroke?” summer travel is ideal.
In Brazil, the kites can kill
Play or peril? Danger of razor-sharp lines prompts push for a national ban
Commitments from corporations, foundations drying up
Forward Through Ferguson has made its mark on its community and the St. Louis region by focusing on justice and education, racial equity and policing reform.
A life-sentence of DESPAIR
Ian Desjarlais was lucky to survive his term in prison, where many find themselves in a loop where their addictions are fuelled instead of treated
We're spoiled for choice
Ten new plays and operas that feature some of Canada's top talent
