A new U.N. report predicts that the world will see 2.5°C of warming by the end of the century, and the U.N.’s climate chief warned that “national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now.” The global response to climate change has been complicated by the war in Ukraine, at least in the short term. [UN: World "nowhere near" hitting emissions targets - AP News]
Russian restrictions on gas supply have forced countries to return to far more polluting coal, and the U.S. has issued thousands of new permits for oil and gas drilling on public land while planning to release 15 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves to counter high fuel prices. It’s important to put the 2.5°C figure into context, though. A few years ago, the best estimate was that we were on course for more like 4°C. A 2.5°C world will be worse in many ways, but the needle is moving in the right direction.
