World Bank gives ‘4 degree’ threshold warning

The World Bank has been urging nations and leaders to increase their efforts to meet carbon reduction goals after assessing the potential consequences of a 4 degrees Celsius average world temperatures rise. A new bank study cited the 4 degree increase as a threshold that could lead to worldwide crop failures.

There has been the ambition in climate summits and meetings to hold the mean temperature increase to under 2 degrees Celsius, by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. However, that ambition is unlikely to be achieved and an increase of 3 or 3.5 degrees Celsius is considered probable.

That goal is unlikely to be met, he said, with an increase of 3 or 3.5 degrees Celsius now considered probable.

The report highlighted that a drop in average temperature of around 4.5 degrees Celsius lead to the last ice age, and it predicted that a temperature increase of that magnitude would similarly reshape the planet.

The report is aiming to instigate significant action to achieve climate goals and to prompt developing regions to begin planning ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.

The report concluded, ominously, that a 4 degree increase in average temperatures would have disastrous consequences for developing nations in particular and it could then be too late for action.