Zeenews Bureau
Washington: The future of planet appears to be grim. The World Bank has issued a warning that time is running out and if immediate actions are not taken, global temperatures could rise by as much as four degrees. The unprecedented increase in temperature may trigger potentially devastating consequences for coastal cities and the poor.
The World Bank tied the future wealth of the planet especially that of developing regions to immediate efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as energy production.
"The time is very, very short. The world has to tackle the problem of climate change more aggressively," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said.
"We will never end poverty if we don`t tackle climate change. It is one of the single biggest challenges to social justice today."
If governments` promises to fight climate change are not met the planet could warm 4.0 degrees Celsius (7.2 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels as early as the 2060s.It’s a call for action and the time for the nations to fulfill their pledges. But even then, the problem won’t subside. Studies into this matter show that there is a probability of a four-degree rise by 2100.
"A four-degree warmer world can and must be avoided. We need to hold warming below two degrees," Kim said. "Lack of ambitious action on climate change threatens to put prosperity out of reach of millions and roll back decades of development."
Global temperatures have already risen about 0.8 degrees Celsius. Series of record-breaking temperatures over the past decade have been charted and frequent disasters, most recently super storm Sandy which ravaged Haiti and the US East Coast have been blamed on the climate change.
According to UN Secretary-General Ban the study showed the need to hold nations to their commitment, made last year in Durban, South Africa, to put in place a legally binding new climate agreement by 2015.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will start their latest annual talks on November 26 in Qatar with 190 nations participating.
