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illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Los Angeles Times or enjoy below
🗞️ Driving the news: The global community, including the International Energy Agency and the UN secretary-general, is pushing for strategies to halt global warming at 1.5 degrees centigrade above preindustrial levels
• However, current data indicates that global warming has already exceeded this limit, suggesting an urgent need for adaptation strategies worldwide
🔭 The context: While efforts to reduce emissions are crucial, current climate trends show that global temperatures are rising rapidly, with predictions for the warmest year on record as soon as 2023
• This underscores the immediate need for countries to develop robust adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Adaptation involves preparing for and reducing the risks posed by climate change, such as extreme weather events
• Comprehensive resilience strategies are essential, involving large-scale infrastructure projects and societal changes, necessitating a unified national approach to be effective
⏭️ What's next: Despite the urgency, the U.S. currently lacks a comprehensive national adaptation strategy, with insufficient investment in necessary resilience projects
• Even states like California, known for their proactive stance on climate issues, allocate a minor fraction of their budgets to these critical initiatives
💬 One quote: "Adaptation to the consequences of global warming doesn’t come just from singular activities, like flipping a switch; it’s processes that will affect all of society and can easily go awry," (Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Cornell University)
📈 One stat: A report co-chaired by notable figures including Bill Gates and former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon indicated that an investment of $1.8 trillion in global adaptation measures could yield $7.1 trillion in benefits by 2030
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