UN Secretary General: 'climate time-bomb is ticking,' IPCC report claims time is running out to limit severity of global warming

A new UN climate change report has issued a stark warning that humanity is running out of time to prevent severe global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) sixth assessment report represents the last warning given while there is still a chance to limit the severity of global warming to the Paris Agreement's targets, Axios reported.

“By the time the next IPCC assessment is released in five to seven years, human actions may have made the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target, and possibly even its 2°C benchmark, infeasible,” Axios reported.

“According to the report's summary for policymakers, there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all,” the IPCC assessed. "The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years."

IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee said at a Monday press conference that current climate actions are happening too slowly, stating, "We are walking when we should be sprinting."

In response to the report's urgency, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for industrialized countries to bring their net-zero emissions targets forward from 2050 to "as close as possible to 2040." Guterres warned that the "climate time-bomb is ticking."

The report underlines that climate change is already causing human suffering and severe impacts, highlighting a change in tone from previous IPCC assessments, which often portrayed deadly climate risks as problems for the future.

The report's summary was agreed upon by climate scientists and government representatives during a week of negotiations in Switzerland. It was authored by 93 scientists from around the world.

The report provides a new target for governments: reducing emissions by 60% by 2035 compared to 2019 levels for a chance to meet the 1.5-degree target. This is significant as 2035 is the target date for the next round of emissions reduction pledges that countries are expected to submit by next year.

The report acknowledges the falling costs of renewable energy sources and the availability of numerous climate solutions. However, "insufficient and misaligned finance is holding back progress," says report co-author Christopher Trisos.

In response to the report, Guterres presented an "acceleration agenda" including net-zero electricity for all developed economies by 2035, ending all licensing or funding of new oil and gas projects, and stopping the expansion of existing oil and gas reserves.

Guterres' proposal also calls for oil and gas companies to submit rigorous plans for transitioning away from fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy. He urged for "warp speed climate action now."