Even if humanity completely stops emitting greenhouse gases, the climate will continue to be unusually hot for at least another thousand years. This conclusion was made by scientists from Australia's national science agency CSIRO.
The team modeled climate change over the next millennium. The program shows how a delay in reaching net zero will affect global temperatures.
The results show that heat waves will become more intense, longer lasting and more frequent. So, if net-zero emissions are not achieved by 2050, equatorial countries will experience new historical temperature records every year.
Even without emissions, temperatures will not return to pre-industrial levels for another millennium, the authors of the scientific paper warn. Stabilizing global warming to 1.5 – 2 degrees above 19th century levels would still lead to serious consequences. The longer humanity delays achieving net zero emissions, the more damaging and lasting climate change will be.
It is known that global warming has had a negative impact on human health and ecosystems, while also causing significant financial losses. Therefore, extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and forest fires are becoming more and more frequent. Unusual temperatures are especially dangerous for vulnerable populations: children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, The Guardian reported.
It was previously reported that Carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere have reached a new record. It reached 423.9 parts per million (ppm), 52% higher than pre-industrial levels. Scientists warn that the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing at an increasingly rapid rate.
