The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is unequivocal that unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5 degrees Celsius or even 2 degrees Celsius will be beyond reach. The world is already experiencing extreme weather patterns, with deadly consequences for human populations. Many communities face the negative impact of climate change in their daily lives. Floods, droughts, wildfires, extreme temperatures and sudden storms are becoming all too common and frequent. Let there be no mistake, the climate crisis is a human crisis. And to avert a human catastrophe, we must act now.

Only with deep and rapid cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases can we stabilize rising temperatures. Bringing this about will require significant changes by governments, businesses and civil society to transition to clean and sustainable economies across the board in a just way – affecting all sectors from energy generation, transport, manufacturing and services to agriculture.

Fully implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement is the world’s best chance to change course. Under the Agreement, all nations committed to limit average global temperature increases, build resilience to climate change impacts, and deliver the financial flows required for their common future. This is a promise that nations now need to keep.