Paris Agreement can help avoid 57 very hot days every year: Study

THe 2015 genus paris accord could facilitate the domain avoid 57 raging days every year if countries follow through on their emission-cutting plans and limit warming this century to 2.6°C, a new study has said.The report by Climate Central and World Weather Attribution shows the historic accord can help the world move toward a safer climate. However, researchers warn that 2.6°C will still subject future generations to dangerous heat, cause severe health impacts, and widen inequality. They called for stronger commitments and policies to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and keep warming well below 2°C, on Thursday.Projected warming this century has dropped from about 4°C in 2015 to 2.6°C because of the legal framework provided by the Paris Agreement — if current emissions reduction pledges are fully implemented.Case studies in the report confirm that extreme heat waves have already become more likely since 2015 mainly due to climate change.Three of the six events studied would have been nearly impossible without climate change, and two of those are now about ten times more likely to occur in 2025 than in 2015. Since 2015, heat early warning systems and action plans have expanded worldwide, but progress is insufficient and is slowed by limited financing for heat adaptation at the local level.Also Read: Time to focus on implementation; provide resources: YadavThe costs of inaction on extreme heat are rising faster than adaptation. Health, labor, and infrastructure are under strain, adaptation finance is insufficient, and the most vulnerable risk being left behind unprepared, authors said.The projections for India and Pakistan are dire.Due to human-induced climate change, high pre-monsoon season temperatures like those seen in 2022 are now about 30 times more likely and 2.1°C higher than they would have been without human influence.Over the past decade, such events have become 0.3°C hotter and about twice as likely.Under current national emission reduction plans (a 2.6°C path) these events would be roughly 1.4°C hotter and seven times more likely. Without emissions reductions (a 4°C path), a 2022-like spring would be expected every two years, about 14 times more likely and 3.3°C hotter than today, the report stated.“Despite this growing risk, most of India’s 37 heat action plans take an overly simplified view of heat waves, often neglecting the needs of vulnerable groups and placing limited emphasis on systemic change, equity, and social protection,” it has added.Keeping warming well below 2°C is vital as heat becomes more dangerous with every fraction of a degree. Since 2015, an increase of 0.3°C has resulted in 11 more hot days globally and made heatwaves around the world much more likely, including ten times in the Amazon, nine times in Mali and Burkina Faso, and two times in India and Pakistan.“The Paris Agreement is a powerful, legally binding framework that can help us avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. “However, countries need to do more to shift away from oil, gas, and coal. We have all the knowledge and technology needed to transition away from fossil fuels, but stronger, fairer policies are needed to move faster.Political leaders need to take the reason for the Paris Agreement much more seriously. It is about protecting our human rights. Every fraction of a degree of warming — whether it is 1.4, 1.5, or 1.7°C — will mean the difference between safety and suffering for millions of people,” said Friederike Otto, Professor in Climate Science at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London.