The 2010s amounted to "a decade lost" for slowing climate change, as nations around the world failed to substantially rein-in the heat-trapping emissions generated by power plants, factories, cars and trucks, and other sources that burn fossil fuels, a United Nations report said Tuesday.
The Earth's average temperature is now on track to soar by close to 4 degrees Celsius – or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit – by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial levels. Scientists have broadly concluded that the planet needs to keep warming to within 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.
Rapid rates of warming, meanwhile, are already essentially locked-in: Even ambitious new efforts to slash carbon emissions, as represented in nations' commitments under the 2015 Paris climate accord, will still produce 2.9 to 3.4 degrees of warming.
The report, from the UN's World Meteorological Organization, renewed calls for yet more urgent action to drastically reduce emissions around the world.
"There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse gases concentration in the atmosphere despite all the commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a statement. "We need to translate the commitments into action and increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future welfare of mankind."
Despite rapid growth in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, sharp declines in coal-fired power generation in developed nations, and recent high-profile investments in electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure, global emissions are next expected to peak by the end of the next decade.
"The effects of climate policies have been too small to offset the impact of key drivers of emissions such as economic growth and population growth," the report said, characterizing the finding as a "rather bleak fact."
Already, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is comparable to 3-5 million years ago, when temperatures were roughly 2-3 degrees warmer and sea levels were 30-60 feet higher, the WMO said.
"In this critical period, the world must deliver concrete, stepped-up action on emissions," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme said in a statement. "We face a stark choice: set in motion the radical transformations we need now, or face the consequences of a planet radically altered by climate change."
President Trump's comments about pardoning himself are odd since the president keeps saying he did nothing wrong, says Republican Sen. James Lankford.
Howard Schultz's philanthropic efforts and commitment to liberal causes may make him an appealing Democratic candidate. But the outgoing executive chairman of Starbucks could face pushback from some liberals because of his corporate background.
Apple is introducing new tools to fight tech addiction. At the company's annual developer conference, Apple unveiled a new feature called 'Digital Health' that allows users to track how much time they spend on their phones and on certain apps. Tim Cook and other Apple executives also took some not-so-subtle jabs at Facebook during the keynote address, calling out the social media company for its data practices.
Starbucks founder and executive chairman Howard Schultz is leaving the company after nearly 40 years. He helped grow Starbucks into an international brand with around 28,000 locations worldwide. Many speculate that Schultz is considering a presidential run in the coming years.
And Hope King sits down with stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser at Comedy Central's Clusterfest. Glaser talks the challenges of being a woman in comedy and how President Trump has changed the industry.
The California city banned scooters from its streets on Monday, insisting that companies get permits for the two-wheelers first. Cheddar's Nora Ali and Baker Machado look at how the scooters rolled into San Francisco's bad graces.
The Democrat from New York is pushing Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which would ensure women are treated the same as men under the law. "If your rights are guaranteed in the Constitution, then they're enforceable," says Maloney.
Actress and activist Alyssa Milano joined forces Monday with Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, to push the Equal Rights Amendment. The Constitutional guarantee of women's rights was passed by Congress in 1972, but still needs to be ratified by states to become the law of the land.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's newest graduates carry with them a tragic burden, but the memory of the deadly mass shooting should not hold them back, said Darren Levine, an English teacher at the school. The senior class graduated on Sunday with a surprise visit from Jimmy Fallon, host of "The Tonight Show."
Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld called on President Trump to change the federal classification of marijuana so researchers can explore the drug's ability to treat diseases.
Comedian Samantha Bee may be too valuable to TBS for the network to scrap her show, despite vulgar comments about the president's daughter Ivanka Trump. "TV networks always want to protect the big-ratings stars," said the Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr. The lack of action, just days after ABC canceled 'Roseanne' for that star's racist tweet, is seen by many as emblematic of the media's liberal bias.
The NFL's decision to ban players from taking a knee during the anthem propagates the narrative that the athletes belong at the bottom of a hierarchy and are just supposed to "do as we say," says ex-Giant Victor Cruz. "I think you'll still see some kind of protest," he tells Cheddar.
