Researchers from the University of Exeter and the Met Office analysed worldwide policies and found that on the “current trajectory” the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting warming to 1.50C above pre-industrial levels is slipping out of reach.
There could be global warming of 40C by the end of this century despite pledges made at the COP26 Climate Summit, according to a new report.
Professor Richard Betts, who led the research, said the agreements made at COP26 in Glasgow “have reduced the likelihood” of warming reaching 40C, “but it remains possible”. If this happens, heat-related deaths in the UK is projected to increase from 2,000 a year at the moment to 7,200 by the 2050s, and 12,800 by the 2080s.
The report, which informed the government’s Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, concluded that climate change is already bringing substantial risks to Britain’s natural environment, infrastructure, human health, communities and businesses. The UK also faces concerns relating to security, migration and supply chains. All these risks would increase if warming reaches 20C and even more so at 40C.
Source: news.sky.com