The Guardian (May 25)
Recent research suggests “that even if carbon emissions are slashed to meet the internationally agreed target of 1.5C, sea level rises will become unmanageable during this century.” The “more ominous” fact, however, is “that even the existing 1.5C goal is moving out of reach.” Globally we are on course for “at least 2.5C of heating,” likely melting “the Greenland and west Antarctic ice sheets” and triggering “‘really dire’ sea level rise of around 12 metres.” Still, we are not helpless. “People will adapt to sea level rises in the future as they have in the past. This is not to deny or underplay the scale of the threat, but to stress the importance of preparing for changes which are now inevitable, as well as trying as hard as possible to avoid the worst-case scenarios.”
Tags: 1.5C, 12m, 2.5C, Adapt, Carbon emissions, Dire, Greenland, Ice sheets, Inevitable, Ominous, Preparing, Research, Sea level, Threat, Unmanageable, West Antarctic
