Dr. John Hanley is a climate scientist at Met Éireann and in this episode he highlights some of the latest findings on climate change as well as the key objectives of COP26, which he will be attending.
Noel and Liz begin the episode by asking John to give an overview of the IPCC most's recent assessment report which stated that it's unequivocal that human activity has warmed the atmosphere, the ocean and the land and that climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying.
John explains what is driving climate change, what physical indicators we have that it is happening and how these can be attributed to human influence.
As COP26 begins, John highlights where we're at in terms of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and where we need to be if we're to "keep 1.5 degrees alive" i.e. to limit warming to 1.5 degrees by 2030. He also outlines some of the key elements to watch out for as the conference progresses, for example, enhanced national determined contributions (NDCs), finalisation of the Paris Rulebook and agreement on a new climate finance plan for developing countries.
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