On the brink of catastrophe

The latest report by the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released on 8 October 2018 says that urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to reach the target of restricting global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C, beyond which, even half a degree will significantly worsen the risk of droughts, floods, extreme heat and poverty for much of the world’s population.