The Paris Agreement says that we should reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius. But do we have the measurement methods needed to achieve this? This is the question posed by researchers at Linköping University in a study published in Environmental Research Letters. Their answer is disheartening.
Global warming is a reality, and the rate of increase seems to be increasing. This changes the environmental conditions in many places, forcing large parts of the Earth’s population to flee from their homes as a consequence of extreme drought, raised sea levels, or recurrent flooding. Furthermore, it is expected that the situation will only become more serious in the coming years.
“When a health crisis occurs, society can unite to develop new diagnosis tools rapidly and in this way start the correct treatment. This became apparent not least during the COVID-19 pandemic. What we need now is a rapid development of better diagnosis methods to meet the huge crisis that climate change brings. We must be able to measure in several ways, if we are to know whether we are taking the best possible actions,” says David Bastviken, professor of environmental sciences at Linköping University.
Read more at Linköping University
Image: “We need cheap and easy-to-use methods such that we can follow all types of greenhouse gas emission at a local level. Only then will we obtain a comprehensive picture," says David Bastviken, professor of environmental sciences at Linköping University. (Photo Credit: Charlotte Perhammar)