More than 60 scientists issue dire warning that the Earth is careening toward catastrophe: 'Things are all moving in the wrong direction'
A group of more than 60 leading scientists warns that if the Earth continues its current levels of pollution and carbon pollution, average global temperatures in the next three years will likely surpass 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit over preindustrial levels, the BBC reported.
That threshold is one agreed to by nearly 200 countries as part of the Paris Agreement as a level that the planet's temperature needs to stay below. If temperatures consistently surpass that number, the United Nations warns, the planet could see severe consequences.
Ideally, the UN says, the planet wouldn't hit that 2.7-degree threshold before the end of this century. But since the treaty was signed, scientists say not enough has happened to limit carbon pollution.
"Things are all moving in the wrong direction," University of Leeds climate researcher Piers Forster told the BBC. "We're seeing some unprecedented changes, and we're also seeing the heating of the Earth and sea-level rise accelerating as well."
The planet is warming at a rate of nearly half a degree Fahrenheit each decade — a level, the scientists note, that has never been seen before. The rate of warming is roughly double what it was 50 years ago.
In fact, each of the 10 warmest years on record occurred within the past decade, with 2024 setting the all-time high mark. And that record is also expected to be broken within the next few years.
As the planet gets warmer, extreme weather events are occurring with more frequency, more severity, or both. One expert has even referred to our warming climate as "steroids for weather."
Scientists have pointed to the changing climate as a driving force behind events such as this year's deadly Los Angeles wildfires and last year's devastating Hurricane Helene.
Although scientists are concerned about how fast we're speeding toward that 2.7-degree threshold, all hope is not lost.
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As more countries adopt green technologies and clean energy sources like solar and wind, the rate of harmful carbon pollution can slow down. And while some drastic carbon cuts will be needed to keep the planet from reaching that threshold, every bit of slowing helps.
"Reductions in emissions over the next decade can critically change the rate of warming," Imperial College London climate science professor Joeri Rogelj told the BBC. "Every fraction of warming that we can avoid will result in less harm and less suffering of particularly poor and vulnerable populations and less challenges for our societies to live the lives that we desire."
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Forbes
5 hours ago
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United Nations Considering These Four Crucial Actions To Save The World From Dire AGI And Killer AI Superintelligence
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Another important document by the U.N. is the UNESCO-led agreement on the ethics of AI, which was the first-ever global consensus involving 193 countries on the suitable use of advanced AI (see my analysis at the link here) The latest notable report is entitled 'Governance of the Transition to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Urgent Considerations for the UN General Assembly' and was prepared and submitted to the Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly (UNCPGA). Here are some key points in that report (excerpts): The bottom line is that a strong case can be made that if AGI is allowed to be let loose and insufficiently overseen, society is going to be at grave risk. A question arises as to how the nations of the world can unite to try and mitigate that risk. Aptly, the United Nations believes they are the appropriate body to take on that challenge. 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Another qualm would be if the AGI Observatory were allowed to be biased, it would misleadingly carry the aura of something balanced, yet would actually be tilted in a directed way. Best Practices And Certification For AGI The second recommendation requests that a set of AGI best practices be crafted. This would aid nations in understanding what kind of governance structures ought to be considered for sensibly overseeing AGI in their respective country. It could spur nations to proceed on a level playing field basis. Furthermore, it reduces the proverbial reinventing of the wheel, namely that the nations could simply adopt or adapt an already presented set of AGI best practices. No need to write such stipulations from scratch. On a similar vein, the setting up of certifications for AGI would be well-aligned with the AGI best practices. AI makers and countries as a whole would hopefully prize being certified as to their AGI and its conformance to vital standards. 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