World Bank report warns of “devastating” climate change effects

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:02:00 +0000

A new report issued by the World Bank warned that, based on current climate models, the world can expect extreme heat waves, declining global food stocks, loss of ecosystems and biodiversity, and life-threatening sea level rise.

The report says today’s climate could "warm from the current global mean temperature of 0.8°C above pre-industrial levels, to as high as 4°C by 2100, even if countries fulfill current emissions-reduction pledges."

"A 4°C warmer world can, and must be, avoided — we need to hold warming below 2°C," World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said on the release of the report titled "Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided." Kim's "below 2°C" mark is achievable according to the report, which urges the immediate implementation of energy-efficiency initiatives; increasing the production of renewable energy; and redistributing the $1 trillion of subsidies that currently go to fossil fuel and other industries.

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World Bank report warns of “devastating” climate change effects