Steam rises at a geothermal power plant that generates electricity without creating greenhouse gasses in California. David McNew/Getty Images |
The fourth and final volume of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC)'s giant climate assessment offered no surprises, nor was it expected to since it combined the findings of three reports released in the past 13 months.
• Download and read the IPCC report here
• NOAA: 2014 warmest year on record so far
But it underlined the scope of the climate challenge in stark terms. Emissions, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, may need to drop to zero by the end of this century for the world to have a decent chance of keeping the temperature rise below a level that many consider dangerous.