Code red for humanity - Global warming is rapid and intensifying 

According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, scientists are now observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region across the globe. 

Many of the climate changes are unprecedented in thousands of years, and some of the changes, such as sea-level rise, are irreversible. 

The report shows that emissions of greenhouse gases from industry and other human activities are responsible for approximately 1.1°C of warming since 1850-1900. Scientists previse that global temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming in the following decades. Unless there are immediate and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be beyond our reach. 

“This report is a reality check,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte. “We now have a much clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential for understanding where we are headed, what can be done, and how we can prepare.” 

People experience global warming in different regions of the world differently. Warming in the Arctic is twice as high as the average, and warming over the land is still larger than the global average.

There will be longer warm seasons, extreme heatwaves, droughts, shorter but more extreme cold seasons, intense snow and ice, immediate rainfalls causing floods or lack of rain leading to drought. Life in the cities will be much harder, as the tarmac and concrete increase the temperature even further. Coastal areas will see continuous sea-level rise and coastal erosion. The usually warmer regions will see more frequent cold waves bringing ice and snow. And the colder areas like the mountains, will see more heatwaves, melting of glaciers and ice sheets and disappearing of permafrost. 

Additionally, warming of the oceans will amplify acidification and reduction of oxygen levels linked to human influence, killing marine ecosystems. 

“Climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in multiple ways. The changes we experience will increase with additional warming,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Panmao Zhai. 

All of these weather extremes will be critical for agriculture, food supply and human health. 

We have to sustain substantial reductions in carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. But even then, it could take us up to 30 years to see the temperatures stabilise, according to scientists who wrote the IPCC report. 

There are many things that everyone could start doing immediately like using renewable energy, saving water, reducing food waste, ditching meat and dairy and eating plant-based food and shopping more consciously. But it's also time to finally think of choosing better leaders.