Climate experts warn that humanity must act quickly before the world faces an environmental catastrophe of global proportions. However, their calls are muted by previous dramatic predictions that have failed to materialize. Many environmental experts have been predicting upcoming doom for decades, most of which involve climatic calamity that never happened. Due to the piling of failed predictions, climate experts are now more cautious in their forecasts. The current general consensus is that extreme weather events will become more prevalent or intense.
The recently released report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that unless carbon emissions are cut drastically, the planet will warm around 1.1-2.4 degrees Celsius by 2100. This would put the planet at a high risk of wildfires, permafrost degradation, biodiversity loss, dryland water scarcity, and tree mortality. However, most of these risks are asserted with moderate or low confidence since underlying evidence is lacking or inconclusive.
Michael Mann, one of the most famous climate experts, criticized the IPCC for being too conservative in its predictions. Nevertheless, it’s these kinds of bold predictions that have undermined experts’ credibility in the past. Examples of such failed predictions date back several decades.
In summary, the urgency to act on climate change is significant, but past failed predictions have weakened climate experts’ credibility. While there is a general consensus that extreme weather events will become more frequent, climate experts are now more cautious in their predictions.