In This Section

On Monday, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the first part of its report on the state of climate around the globe, and humans’ contribution to global warming.

The findings were grim, saying that Earth is likely to reach increased temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels in the next 20 years. It further found that limiting the warming to only 1.5 degrees — the goal outlined in the Paris Agreement — would require “immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”

The IPCC report released today is chilling but we cannot afford despair. Every fraction of a degree counts. New York must do its part to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and invest in a just transition for our state — that means making sure to fully implement and fully fund our climate mandates, with impacted communities and workers at the table. Our communities are worth saving.

— Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director of ALIGN and NY Renews Steering Committee member

To read the full article, visit City Limits