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Climate crisis: Last warning for humanity?

The world's largest ever report into climate change is published, setting out the stark reality of the state of the planet. The study, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says it is "unequivocal" that human activity is responsible for global warming

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The story

United Nations researchers are set to make their strongest statement yet on the impact of climate change.
In a key report setting out how the world’s oceans, ice caps and land could change in the next decades.

Researchers confirmed that if global temperature increase is limited to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels,
the worst catastrophes can be avoided.

Key words and phrases

stark
clear and unpleasant

• The government issued a stark warning to protesters who refused to leave the city centre.
• This year’s business losses are in stark contrast to last year’s profits.

a wake-up call
a shocking event which can cause changes in behaviour or attitude

• Last month’s extreme weather was a wake-up call for the government’s environment agency.
• My last test result was a wake-up call! I need to work harder.

dire
very serious; bad

• The consequences of ignoring climate change warnings could be dire.
• Critics slammed the actor’s dire performance.

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