Global Warming Alarm: IPCC Chair Warns of Faster-than-Expected Climate Change Impacts

The IPCC Chair, Jim Skea, highlights that climate change impacts are accelerating faster than anticipated, due to inaction. Despite efforts to convey urgency, broad social and political factors impede policy implementation. The necessity for reducing emissions by revised targets is emphasized against a backdrop of record temperatures and extreme events.

Industry experts are raising alarms as climate impacts unfold more rapidly than previously expected. According to Jim Skea, chair of the United Nations' climate science panel, the world faces a dire situation exacerbated by years of inaction.

In an interview with PTI, Skea expressed that scientists are taken aback by the swift rise in global temperatures and the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events. The situation in 2024 stands more severe than three years ago, with attribution science revealing human activities heavily influencing these events.

The IPCC had set a 43% emission reduction target by 2030, which now seems outdated, emphasizing the critical need for upgraded goals. Despite the clear scientific communication, Skea points to social and political barriers as significant hurdles in achieving climate action.

(With inputs from agencies.)