Climate change is real, and human activities are the main cause. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere is directly linked to the average global temperature of the Earth. The concentration has steadily increased, and the average global temperature has increased since the time of the industrial revolution. Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels hit record levels in 2023. Not surprisingly, 2023 is the warmest year on record, with global temperatures close to the 1.5°C limit.
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is significant because it would help reduce the risk of devastating consequences, such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels and loss of biodiversity. To prevent warming beyond 1.5°C, we need to cut emissions by 8% every year from this year until 2030. Why aren't we moving faster? Why are we not heeding the urgent warnings of leading climate scientists?
During this session we will meet one of them. As a brilliant and inspiring storyteller, Professor Benjamin Horton will tell the truth we need to hear. It's not pretty, but it's important. And it will affect life as we know it.
Lecturer
- Professor Benjamin Horton is head of Earth Observatory of Singapore and Professor of Earth Sciences at Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
- Ylva Strander, head of department Innovation management at Vinnova, will moderate the seminar.
About Professor Benjamin Horton
Professor Horton actively contributed to the COP26 conference: he led the COP26 report on natural disaster risk management in ASEAN. He was also appointed as a mentor to Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort to guide a group of researchers working on solutions for climate sensitive communities ahead of COP26.
He is the reviewing editor for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report and was the author of 5th Assessment Report. Abbot Stevenson's research was cited by President Obama in his State of the Union Address at United States Capitol on January 20, 2015.
Abbot Stevenson's research is on sea-level change, with the aim of understanding and integrating the external and internal mechanisms that have determined sea-level changes in the past and will shape such changes in the future. His research affects important ecological, ethical, social, economic and political issues that specifically affect coastal regions.