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The only way to limit global warming to 1.5C… according to the Oxford professor behind ‘net zero’

It’s easy to shout ‘Just Stop Oil’, says Myles Allen – but it won’t just happen, and especially not quickly enough to make a difference. Which is why there’s a new buzzword emerging from Cop28 – ‘abatement’

Friday 01 December 2023 17:46 GMT
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A ‘Just Stop Oil’ protester interrupts the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield in April
A ‘Just Stop Oil’ protester interrupts the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield in April (PA Wire)

After all the “last chances” to keep 1.5 alive, you’d be forgiven for thinking the global warming threshold agreed in Paris eight years ago must surely be dead by now.

But the reality is, with Cop28 climate talks underway, the end of fossil-fuel-driven global warming is in sight – but only if, in the words of the conference president Sultan Al Jaber, we are “laser-focussed on phasing out fossil-fuel emissions”.

That may not be a popular approach right now – to stop fossil fuels from causing further global warming before we stop using fossil fuels – but it is going to be a major topic of debate in the UAE in the coming days. Because, if we do not reach agreement on this, then 1.5 will most definitely be dead.

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