Guest essay by Eric Worrall

Climate scientists maxing out on panic.

Climate change ‘hitting harder and sooner’ than forecast, warn scientists ahead of UN meeting

Updated yesterday at 11:02am

Key points:

• The new report revealed that global temperatures between 2015-2019 were the hottest on record
• It noted carbon emissions in the same period had risen by 20 per cent
• Its authors also warned of the alarming extent of sea-level rise and melting glaciers

A new report published ahead of key UN climate talks has warned the world is falling drastically behind in the race to avert climate disaster, with the five-year period ending in 2019 the hottest on record.

The data, compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), says climate change is accelerating, with sea levels rising, carbon dioxide levels increasing and ice sheets melting faster than ever before. 

It warned that carbon-cutting efforts have to be intensified immediately and comes ahead of a major UN climate summit in New York on Monday that will be attended by more than 60 world leaders, as secretary-general Antonio Guterres pushes for countries to increase their greenhouse gas reduction targets.

…

“This reads like a credit card statement after a five-year-long spending binge,” said Dave Reay, chair in carbon management at the University of Edinburgh.

“Our global carbon credit is maxed out,” he added. 

“If emissions don’t start falling there will be hell to pay.“

…

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-23/climate-change-accelerating-warn-scientists/11537240

The report is available here.

Carbon emissions rising 20% in four years, and still that pesky Arctic icecap refuses to melt.

It must be a real challenge for the climate community, thinking up new scary statements which are even more scary than last year’s scary statements, without accidentally including verifiable claims about consequences which might lead to embarrassment.