UN Climate Report Urges Immediate Action to Protect Humanity, Planet
2022-03-01
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1A United Nations report warns that the effects of climate change are likely to intensify unless urgent measures are taken to protect humanity and the planet.
2The report was released Monday by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC.
3It deals with the ways nature and the world's societies are currently suffering from human activities linked to climate conditions.
4The report states that extreme heat, dry conditions and floods are already threatening the survival of some plants and animals.
5The IPCC said the changes are appearing much faster and are far more serious and widespread than expected 20 years ago.
6In a speech Monday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world needs to invest in new ways to adapt to intensifying climate change.
7"Adaptation saves lives," he said.
8But Guterres said world leaders had failed to take effective steps to limit one of the main causes of climate change - heat-trapping carbon gasses.
9Large investments in programs and technology will be needed to limit such pollution, which he said especially harms "the world's most vulnerable" populations.
10"The facts are undeniable. This abdication of leadership is criminal," Guterres added.
11Mohamed Adow is director of the climate policy organization Power Shift Africa.
12He said in a statement that he considers the U.N. report a serious "wake-up call" to all areas of the world.
13"The rich, polluting, global north has changed the planet through fossil fuel burning and is now refusing to help those suffering the effects," Adow said.
14The report is considered important because the U.N. expects world leaders to use it to form new policies.
15Its release comes three months after world leaders met at a U.N. climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
16The U.N.'s 2015 Paris Agreement aims to contain worldwide warming to within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels.
17The U.N. report describes pre-industrial as a time before modern industry and uses a 50-year period ending in 1900 to measure it.
18Experts say the world is already 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times and heat-trapping carbon gasses continue to increase.
19Climate experts say this could push temperatures above the U.N.'s target of 1.5 degrees Celsius by the 2030s.
20The new report warns that if that limit is crossed, "then many human and natural systems will face additional severe risks... some will be irreversible, even if global warming is reduced."
21The IPCC noted that millions of people are already facing severe food and water insecurity.
22They live in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and on small islands and in the Arctic.
23One of the areas predicted to be the hardest hit by climate change is Africa.
24Its population is likely to grow faster than any other place during the 21st century, with many people living in coastal areas.
25The report said that by 2060, more than 190 million Africans will be vulnerable to higher sea levels.
26Worldwide, 1 billion people will face coastal flooding risks from rising seas, the report said.
27And more people will be forced out of their homes from weather disasters.
28The most likely are flooding, sea level rise and large atmospheric storms called tropical cyclones.
29If world temperatures continue to rise, up to 183 million people are estimated to face food insecurity in low-income countries by 2050, the report said.
30"Overall, the picture is stark for food systems. No one is left unaffected by climate change," Adelle Thomas told reporters.
31Thomas was one of the report's lead writers.
32She is a professor at the University of the Bahamas.
33Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is President Joe Biden's Special Envoy for Climate.
34He called the report "a dire picture" of the effects of climate change "if we continue to ignore science."
35Kerry said he thinks it is no longer a question of whether the world can avoid a crisis, but "whether we can avoid the worst consequences."
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A United Nations report warns that the effects of climate change are likely to intensify unless urgent measures are taken to protect humanity and the planet. 2The report was released Monday by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC. It deals with the ways nature and the world's societies are currently suffering from human activities linked to climate conditions. 3The report states that extreme heat, dry conditions and floods are already threatening the survival of some plants and animals. The IPCC said the changes are appearing much faster and are far more serious and widespread than expected 20 years ago. 4In a speech Monday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world needs to invest in new ways to adapt to intensifying climate change. "Adaptation saves lives," he said. 5But Guterres said world leaders had failed to take effective steps to limit one of the main causes of climate change - heat-trapping carbon gasses. 6Large investments in programs and technology will be needed to limit such pollution, which he said especially harms "the world's most vulnerable" populations. "The facts are undeniable. This abdication of leadership is criminal," Guterres added. 7Mohamed Adow is director of the climate policy organization Power Shift Africa. He said in a statement that he considers the U.N. report a serious "wake-up call" to all areas of the world. "The rich, polluting, global north has changed the planet through fossil fuel burning and is now refusing to help those suffering the effects," Adow said. 8The report is considered important because the U.N. expects world leaders to use it to form new policies. Its release comes three months after world leaders met at a U.N. climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. 9The U.N.'s climate goals 10The U.N.'s 2015 Paris Agreement aims to contain worldwide warming to within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels. The U.N. report describes pre-industrial as a time before modern industry and uses a 50-year period ending in 1900 to measure it. 11Experts say the world is already 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times and heat-trapping carbon gasses continue to increase. Climate experts say this could push temperatures above the U.N.'s target of 1.5 degrees Celsius by the 2030s. 12The new report warns that if that limit is crossed, "then many human and natural systems will face additional severe risks... some will be irreversible, even if global warming is reduced." 13The IPCC noted that millions of people are already facing severe food and water insecurity. They live in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and on small islands and in the Arctic. 14One of the areas predicted to be the hardest hit by climate change is Africa. Its population is likely to grow faster than any other place during the 21st century, with many people living in coastal areas. The report said that by 2060, more than 190 million Africans will be vulnerable to higher sea levels. 15Worldwide, 1 billion people will face coastal flooding risks from rising seas, the report said. And more people will be forced out of their homes from weather disasters. The most likely are flooding, sea level rise and large atmospheric storms called tropical cyclones. 16If world temperatures continue to rise, up to 183 million people are estimated to face food insecurity in low-income countries by 2050, the report said. 17"Overall, the picture is stark for food systems. No one is left unaffected by climate change," Adelle Thomas told reporters. Thomas was one of the report's lead writers. She is a professor at the University of the Bahamas. 18Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is President Joe Biden's Special Envoy for Climate. He called the report "a dire picture" of the effects of climate change "if we continue to ignore science." Kerry said he thinks it is no longer a question of whether the world can avoid a crisis, but "whether we can avoid the worst consequences." 19I'm Bryan Lynn. 20Reuters, The Associated Press and VOA News reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 21__________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23adapt - v. to change something to fit different conditions or uses 24abdication - n. a decision not to be responsible for something anymore 25vulnerable - adj. easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally 26fossil fuel - n. fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas formed in the earth from dead plants or animals 27irreversible - adj. not being able to change something to the way it was before 28stark - adj. unpleasantly clear and obvious 29dire - adj. very serious or bad 30consequences - n. things produced by a cause or following from a condition 31We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.