Global temperature to rise by 7ºC in 2100

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, Philippines – Global temperature will increase by 7 degrees Celsius by 2100 while sea water level is expected to rise by 18 inches in 2020 if carbon dioxide emissions will not be reduced now, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned.

Aaron Pedrosa, head of the energy working group of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), said research conducted by IPCC shows that global temperature will further increase due to the continuing high emissions of carbon dioxide, particularly those from coal-fired power plants.

“If we do not do anything on lowering greenhouse emissions and if we do the low mitigation, meaning low to none action on lowering the carbon dioxide emissions, the global temperature will increase to 7°C by the end of the century 2100,” he added.

But if drastic mitigation on gas emissions will be implemented now, like phasing out of coal-fired power plants, it is possible that the global increase in average temperature by the end of the century will not go up by 2°C, Pedrosa said.

The Philippines has low carbon dioxide emission. It contributes only 0.31 percent to the global emissions, but the country’s vulnerability to climate change is very high. Excessive carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere will result in extreme weather conditions like Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated Visayas in November 2013. 

“I have to make it clear though that this low emission of carbon dioxide is being used by the government to allow the establishment and operation of coal-fired power plants. This should not give the government a license for them to allow the putting up of harmful and dirty technology because it will worsen the impact on health and environment,” Pedrosa said.

He also noted that politics has overpowered science when it comes to environmental issues because policymakers, mostly politicians, do not listen to the studies conducted by scientists.

Pedrosa also cautioned that the sea water level is expected to rise by 18 inches in 2020. The rise in sea water level is the effect of global warming.