"Is global warming accelerating? Are we in time to stop it at 1.5, 2 or 3°C?"

Pep Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project (GCP) and head of research at the Australian National Science Agency (CSIRO), will give this conference, which has been organised by the UAB and CREAF, of which Canadell is, respectively, alumnus and scientific advisor.

Greenhouse gas emissions, which come mainly from fossil fuels and agricultural systems, continue to grow and the increase in their atmospheric concentrations has been accelerating in recent years. This continued increase jeopardises reaching the targets set in the 2016 Paris Agreement: the progressive reduction of greenhouse gases until 2050, when net zero emissions (matching what is emitted with what is captured) would have to be achieved to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

In his lecture, Canadell will address questions such as: Is global warming accelerating, as some experts suggest? Will we be able to achieve the goal of stopping it at 1.5°C or, at least, of not exceeding the 2°C set by Paris? What efforts are needed and by whom? What are the dangers of not achieving this?

The Global Carbon Project (GCP) is an organisation made up of dozens of international scientists from more than 90 institutions that has been providing detailed information on natural and anthropogenic carbon dioxide sources and sinks every year since 2006. Its reports are a reference source for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which reports on climate change caused by human activities.

The conference is open tot he general public and will include the collaboration of the Catalan Biology Society through its Vallès Regional Section.