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Malta must take ambitious measures to stave off the effects of climate change, a local climatologist has urged, in the wake of a landmark UN report calling for rapid, unprecedented efforts to prevent disaster. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeMalta needs to prepare for climate change, experts say
Malta must take ambitious measures to stave off the effects of climate change, a local climatologist has urged, in the wake of a landmark UN report calling for rapid, unprecedented efforts to prevent disaster. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a report last week that urgent changes were needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, warning that even a half-degree increase over that threshold would dramatically increase the risk of floods, heatwaves, drought and extreme weather events. “That half a degree – between 1.5°C and 2°C – means hundreds of thousands of lives,” University of Malta climatologist James Ciarlo told The Sunday Times of Malta. “The idea is to push for a global response and sustainable development as soon as possible. “We’re talking of shifts that we’re not necessarily equipped for. Our infrastructure is set up for the climate we’re used to. The change might be slow, but it’s speeding up.” According to the IPCC report, the world’s temperatures could increase by more than 3°C by the end of the century if no changes are made. Limiting that increase to 1.5°C would have massive impacts on containing the... Read more