MSGID: 1:317/3 6482ab06   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Greenhouse gas emissions at 'an all-time high' -- and it is causing an   
   unprecedented rate of global warming, say scientists    
      
     Date:   
         June 8, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Leeds   
     Summary:   
         Human-induced warming, largely caused by the burning of fossil   
         fuels, reached an average of 1.14DEGC for the most recent decade   
         (2013 to 2022) above pre-industrial levels. This is up from   
         1.07DEGC between 2010 and 2019. Human-induced warming is now   
         increasing at a pace of over 0.2DEGC per decade. The analysis also   
         found that greenhouse gas emissions were 'at an all-time high',   
         with human activity resulting in the equivalent of 54 (+/-5.3)   
         gigatonnes (or billion metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide being   
         released into the atmosphere on average every year over the last   
         decade (2012-2021). Given the speed at which the global climate   
         system is changing, the scientists argue that policymakers,   
         climate negotiators and civil society groups need to have access   
         to up-to-date and robust scientific evidence on which to base   
         decisions.   
      
      
         Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Human-caused global warming has continued to increase at an "unprecedented   
   rate" since the last major assessment of the climate system published   
   two years ago, say 50 leading scientists.   
      
   One of the researchers said the analysis was a "timely wake-up call"   
   that the pace and scale of climate action has been insufficient, and   
   it comes as climate experts meet in Bonn to prepare the ground for the   
   major COP28 climate conference in the UAE in December, which will include   
   a stocktake of progress towards keeping global warming to 1.5DEGC by 2050.   
      
   Given the speed at which the global climate system is changing, the   
   scientists argue that policymakers, climate negotiators and civil society   
   groups need to have access to up-to-date and robust scientific evidence   
   on which to base decisions.   
      
   The authoritative source of scientific information on the state of the   
   climate is the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) but   
   the turnaround time for its major assessments is five or ten years, and   
   that creates an "information gap," particularly when climate indicators   
   are changing rapidly.   
      
   In an initiative being led by the University of Leeds, the scientists   
   have developed an open data, open science platform -- the Indicators of   
   Global Climate Change and website (https://igcc.earth/). It will update   
   information on key climate indicators every year.   
      
   Critical decade for climate change The Indicators of Global Climate Change   
   Project is being co-ordinated by Professor Piers Forster, Director of   
   the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at Leeds. He said: "This is   
   the critical decade for climate change.   
      
   "Decisions made now will have an impact on how much temperatures will   
   rise and the degree and severity of impacts we will see as a result.   
      
   "Long-term warming rates are currently at a long-term high, caused by   
   highest- ever levels of greenhouse gas emissions. But there is evidence   
   that the rate of increase in greenhouse gas emissions has slowed.   
      
   "We need to be nimble footed in the face of climate change. We need to   
   change policy and approaches in the light of the latest evidence about   
   the state of the climate system. Time is no longer on our side. Access   
   to up-to-date information is vitally important."  Writing in the journal   
   Earth System Science Data, the scientists have revealed how key indicators   
   have changed since the publication of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Working   
   Group 1 report in 2021- which produced the key data that fed into the   
   subsequent IPCC Sixth Synthesis Report.   
      
   What the updated indicators show Human-induced warming, largely caused   
   by the burning of fossil fuels, reached an average of 1.14DEGC for the   
   most recent decade (2013 to 2022) above pre- industrial levels. This is   
   up from 1.07DEGC between 2010 and 2019.   
      
   Human-induced warming is now increasing at a pace of over 0.2DEGC   
   per decade.   
      
   The analysis also found that greenhouse gas emissions were "at an   
   all-time high," with human activity resulting in the equivalent of 54   
   (+/-5.3) gigatonnes (or billion metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide being   
   released into the atmosphere on average every year over the last decade   
   (2012-2021).   
      
   There has been positive move away from burning coal, yet this has come   
   at a short-term cost in that it has added to global warming by reducing   
   particulate pollution in the air, which has a cooling effect.   
      
   'Indicators critical to address climate crisis' Professor Maisa Rojas   
   Corradi, Minister of the Environment in Chile, IPCC author and a scientist   
   involved in this study, said: "An annual update of key indicators of   
   global change is critical in helping the international community and   
   countries to keep the urgency of addressing the climate crisis at the   
   top of the agenda and for evidence-based decision-making.   
      
   "In line with the "ratchet-mechanism" of increasing ambition envisioned   
   by the Paris Agreement we need scientific information about emissions,   
   concentration, and temperature as often as possible to keep international   
   climate negotiations up to date and to be able to adjust and if necessary   
   correct national policies.   
      
   "In the case of Chile, we have a climate change law that aims at aligning   
   government-wide policies with climate action."  Remaining carbon budget   
   One of the major findings of the analysis is the rate of decline in what   
   is known as the remaining carbon budget, an estimate of how much carbon   
   that can be released into the atmosphere to give a 50% chance of keeping   
   global temperature rise within 1.5DEGC.   
      
   In 2020, the IPCC calculated the remaining carbon budget was around   
   500 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. By the start of 2023, the figure was   
   roughly half that at around 250 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide.   
      
   The reduction in the estimated remaining carbon budget is due to a   
   combination of continued emissions since 2020 and updated estimates of   
   human-induced warming.   
      
   Professor Forster said: "Even though we are not yet at 1.5DEGC warming,   
   the carbon budget will likely be exhausted in only a few years as we have   
   a triple whammy of heating from very high CO2 emissions, heating from   
   increases in other GHG emissions and heating from reductions in pollution.   
      
   "If we don't want to see the 1.5DEGC goal disappearing in our rearview   
   mirror, the world must work much harder and urgently at bringing   
   emissions down.   
      
   "Our aim is for this project to help the key players urgently make   
   that important work happen with up-to-date and timely data at their   
   fingertips."  Dr Vale'rie Masson-Delmotte, from the Universite' Paris   
   Saclay who co-chaired Working Group 1 of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment   
   report and was involved in the climate indicators project, said: "This   
   robust update shows intensifying heating of our climate driven by human   
   activities. It is a timely wake up call for the 2023 global stocktake   
   of the Paris Agreement -- the pace and scale of climate action is not   
   sufficient to limit the escalation of climate-related risks."  As recent   
   IPCC reports have conclusively shown, with every further increment of   
   global warming, the frequency and intensity of climate extremes, including   
   hot extremes, heavy rainfall and agricultural droughts, increases.   
      
   The Indicators of Global Climate Change (https://igcc.earth/) will have   
   annually updated information on greenhouse gas emissions, human-induced   
   global warming and the remaining carbon budget.   
      
   The website extends a successful climate dashboard called the Climate   
   Change Tracker which was created by software developers who took ideas   
   from the finance industry on how to present complex information to   
   the public.   
      
   Summary: Greenhouse gas emissions at 'an all-time high' -- and it is   
   causing an unprecedented rate of global warming, say scientists   
       * Human-induced warming averaged 1.14DEGC over the last decade *   
       A record level of greenhouse gases is being emitted each year,   
       equivalent   
         to 54 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide   
       * The remaining carbon budget -- how much carbon dioxide can be   
       emitted to   
         have a better than 50% chance of holding global warming to 1.5DEGC   
         -- has halved over three years   
       * Leading scientists have today launched a project to update key   
       climate   
         indicators every year, so people can be kept informed about critical   
         aspects of global warming   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Global_Warming # Climate # Environmental_Issues   
             o Fossils_&_Ruins   
                   # Early_Climate # Human_Evolution # Fossils   
             o Science_&_Society   
                   # Environmental_Policies # Resource_Shortage #   
                   World_Development   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Global_warming o Global_warming_controversy o   
             Climate_change_mitigation o Attribution_of_recent_climate_change   
             o Fossil_fuel o Consensus_of_scientists_regarding_global_warming   
             o Sulfur_hexafluoride o Climate_engineering   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Leeds. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Piers M. Forster, Christopher J. Smith, Tristram Walsh, William   
      F. Lamb,   
         Robin Lamboll, Mathias Hauser, Aure'lien Ribes, Debbie Rosen, Nathan   
         Gillett, Matthew D. Palmer, Joeri Rogelj, Karina von Schuckmann,   
         Sonia I.   
      
         Seneviratne, Blair Trewin, Xuebin Zhang, Myles Allen, Robbie   
         Andrew, Arlene Birt, Alex Borger, Tim Boyer, Jiddu A. Broersma,   
         Lijing Cheng, Frank Dentener, Pierre Friedlingstein, Jose'   
         M. Gutie'rrez, Johannes Gu"tschow, Bradley Hall, Masayoshi Ishii,   
         Stuart Jenkins, Xin Lan, June- Yi Lee, Colin Morice, Christopher   
         Kadow, John Kennedy, Rachel Killick, Jan C. Minx, Vaishali Naik,   
         Glen P. Peters, Anna Pirani, Julia Pongratz, Carl-Friedrich   
         Schleussner, Sophie Szopa, Peter Thorne, Robert Rohde, Maisa   
         Rojas Corradi, Dominik Schumacher, Russell Vose, Kirsten Zickfeld,   
         Vale'rie Masson-Delmotte, Panmao Zhai. Indicators of Global Climate   
         Change 2022: annual update of large-scale indicators of the state   
         of the climate system and human influence. Earth System Science   
         Data, 2023; 15 (6): 2295 DOI: 10.5194/essd-15-2295-2023   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230608121013.htm   
      
   --- up 1 year, 14 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes   
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)   
   SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 153/7715 218/700 226/30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 291/111 292/854   
   SEEN-BY: 298/25 305/3 317/3 320/219 396/45   
   PATH: 317/3 229/426