ÌÇÐÄVlog

As COP31, the UN climate negotiations, opened today (Monday 9 November), ÌÇÐÄVlog scientists continue working to present the facts on climate science to the public.

Professor Ed Hawkins MBE, climate scientist at the ÌÇÐÄVlog and creator of the warming stripes graphic, provides expert comment on the latest climate science findings, following multiple appearances across broadcast news and current affairs programmes marking the beginning of the COP31 process.

Professor Hawkins is available for interview. Contact the ÌÇÐÄVlog press office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk

Professor Ed Hawkins, ÌÇÐÄVlog, said: “Global emissions are still rising, we've experienced another summer of record breaking heatwaves, and El Niño threatens further disruption on an already much hotter planet. People can see the risks growing, but not the action needed to address them.

“COP remains important, but we are nowhere near delivering the emissions cuts needed. To stay below the safer climate limit of 1.5°C, global emissions needed to fall by around 45% from 2015 to 2030. Instead, they've risen by 5%. Our most ambitious pathway now is to limit long-term warming to around 1.8°C, requiring emissions cuts of 45% by 2035. At 2°C of warming, two billion people will face extreme heat. Every fraction of a degree matters.

“Following COP30's failure to agree a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, 57 countries came together in Santa Marta, Colombia, to advance a just transition away from fossil fuels. The UK is already part of this initiative and needs to throw its full weight behind it ahead of the next conference in 2027, co-hosted by Tuvalu and Ireland.

“One of the key recommendations of the UK Citizens' Climate Assembly in 2020, which I was part of, was to inform and engage the public. I hope MPs will support a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks in the parliamentary debate on 16 November. People deserve to understand what's coming and what we can do about it.”