The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does not mince words when describing the catastrophic impact humans are having on the planet. "It is clear that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, the ocean and the earth," it says in latest report . From heat waves and wildfires to downpours and floods, 2023 gave us a taste of the impacts we can expect in the coming decades and centuries. In short, it's not good news. Without very significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions starting immediately, it is very likely that global surface temperatures will exceed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Even if we curb emissions, sea levels will almost certainly continue to rise during this century and may continue to rise for centuries or millennia beyond this century. Extreme weather events have become more frequent since 1950 and will become more frequent and severe as global temperatures rise.(SABRINA WEISSOVA)