Rich countries must achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040

This Monday, the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group that aims to explain everything that is known so far about global warming, published its latest report. 

In the document, they gathered the results of the investigations carried out in the last eight years and ensure that if humanity wants the planet’s temperature not to increase by 1.5 °Celsius, as was specified in the Paris Agreement, in 2015, they must reduce its carbon emissions by 48% by 2030.

Before the presentation of the final results of the document, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, asked wealthy countries to advance their carbon neutrality objectives “as close as possible to 2040” instead of 2050, as had been agreed a few months ago.

According to Guterres, advancing this objective would be essential to “defuse the climate bomb, since humanity, which walks on a thin layer of ice, can still limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5º Celsius, but to do so it is necessary a breakthrough for climate action.”

For the secretary, in this battle against time all countries must contribute and it must be done in all sectors of the economy. “As for developing countries, for their part, they should align on the 2050 date to achieve carbon neutrality,” he adds.

But what do you mean by reaching net zero carbon emissions or carbon neutrality? Basically, it consists of emitting the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere that is removed, using different techniques.

If the earth ever reaches or exceeds the 2° Celsius limit, the effects would be devastating. 

First, a hotter planet doesn’t sequester as much carbon. 

Second, it would lead to an unpredictable global water cycle, droughts and fires, devastating floods, extreme sea level events, and more intense tropical cyclones. 

Third, sea level rise will be inevitable and will continue to rise beyond 2100, posing risks to coastal ecosystems, people, and infrastructure. 

And finally, there will be fewer options for employing climate change adaptation strategies.

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