NEW YORK CITY — Global warming is close to spiraling out of control, according to the sixth report by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called “a code red for humanity.” The report outlined five different scenarios for the planet based on how much carbon emissions are reduced, ranging from a future with incredibly large and quick pollution cuts to a future involving continued increases in carbon pollution.
In five previous reports, the world was on track for the hottest scenario, likely to involve temperatures 3.3 to 5.7 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.