Greenhouse gases are rising so fast that it could soon be 鈥済ame over鈥 for the climate, a leading scientist warned in response to a new study published on November 9 that finds the planet could be heading for more than 7掳C warming within a lifetime.
The , published in the journal Science Advances, reported that the United Nations鈥 most accurate estimates on the 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥 rate of global warming may actually be vastly underestimated.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently estimated that continuing to use fossil fuels at current rates would put the Earth on track for an average temperature rise of 2.6掳C to 4.8掳C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
But the authors, a team of climate researchers and scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Washington, the University of Albany, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, say the range for that same time period is actually 4.78掳C to 7.36掳C.
That is because the climate has 鈥渟ubstantially higher sensitivity鈥 to greenhouse gases during warm phases, they write. This ultimately means that 鈥渨ithin the 21st century, global mean temperatures will very likely exceed maximum levels reconstructed for the last 784,000 years鈥.
The results correspond with other recent data that finds, despite all the pledges made in the landmark Paris climate agreement, the planet is for at least a 3掳C global temperature rise. Scientists have long warned that catastrophic, irreversible damage would come at 2掳C.
United States , who has that climate change exists, has vowed to withdraw from the Paris agreement, and his is rife with fellow deniers and fossil fuel industry lobbyists.
Green groups on November 9 to his win by calling on people around the world to mobilise against his anti-environmental policies 鈥渇or the sake of our brothers and sisters around the world and for all future generations鈥.
Dr Tobias Friedrich, one of the authors, said: 鈥淥ur results imply that the Earth's sensitivity to variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide increases as the climate warms. Currently, our planet is in a warm phase 鈥 an interglacial period 鈥 and the associated increased climate sensitivity needs to be taken into account for future projections of warming induced by human activities.
鈥淭he only way out is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.鈥
[Reprinted from .]