DISCUSSION Too late for two degrees?

Although scientists are hesitant towards making a judgement about the cause of Hurricane Sandy, most have accepted that climate change did contribute to the intensity of the Category 1 storm.

The oceans are now 0.5°C warmer than they were a century ago. This not only extends the length of hurricane season, but boosted the storm’s power as it picked up speed quicker than usual. With sea levels higher, the storm carried even more moisture leading to higher floodwaters which submerged the streets of New York City.

The report said that we will need ‘unprecedented and sustained reductions over four decades’ in order to keep our earth’s temperature relatively stable.

International coordination is something that is needed to tackle climate change. The report showed that energy-related emissions around the world varied dramatically.

The UK was one of the best performers with a -6.4% reduction from 2010 to 2011. The USA managed to reduce their emissions by 1.9%, but if President Obama hopes to keep to his climate change promise, a much stronger performance will be expected over the next four years.

On the other end of the scale, China trailed behind with a 9.4% increase in energy related emissions, with Australia not far behind at an 8.7% increase.