BY VIVIAN LIVESAY ’21

Two weeks ago, the United Nations released a landmark report on the near future effects of climate change. According to an article published in the New York Times, the study predicts that, with its current trajectory, the planet will experience an overall temperature increase of 2.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2040, and possibly sooner. While many climate scientists previously assumed that the most devastating effects of climate change would not occur until the planet’s temperature reached 3.6 degrees above pre-industrial levels, this study suggests that these effects will occur with a 2.7 degree increase.