Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals Factsheet: Climate Change – Science, Drivers & Commitments

This factsheet from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment outlines the science of climate change, the primary economic sectors driving greenhouse gas emissions, the projected impacts of 1.5°C and 2°C warming, and the global commitments under the Paris Agreement.

• Human activities have released approximately 2,220 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) since pre-industrial times, causing atmospheric concentrations to rise from 315 to 410 parts per million (ppm) within 60 years. As of 2017, the global average temperature had increased by 1°C since the industrial revolution.
• The majority of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are concentrated in four economic sectors: electricity and heat production (25%), agriculture, forestry and other land use (24%), industry (21%), and transport (14%).
• At current emission rates, global warming is projected to reach 1.5°C by 2040. A 1.5°C increase is expected to intensify hot days and nights, increase heavy precipitation and tropical cyclones, destroy 70% to 90% of warm water coral reefs, and halve the geographic range of 4% of vertebrates, 8% of plants, and 6% of insects.
• A warming scenario of 2°C would significantly amplify impacts compared to 1.5°C, including exposing over one third of the global population to severe heatwaves at least every five years, impacting an additional 10.4 million people via sea level rise, and increasing climate-induced water stress by 50%.
• To limit warming to 1.5°C, annual CO2 emissions must be reduced by 25 to 30 Gt CO2eq per year by 2030 (a 45% reduction from 2010 levels) to reach net zero by 2050. This requires renewable energy to provide 52% to 67% of primary electricity by 2050, with coal reduced to 1% to 7% of capacity, and significant declines in oil and gas usage.
• The Paris Agreement commits nations to keeping warming well below 2°C and ideally below 1.5°C by 2100. However, current Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets are insufficient and would likely lead to 3°C of warming by 2100.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals Factsheet: Climate Change – Science, Drivers & Commitments. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-1-FACTSHEET-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals Factsheet: Climate Change – Science, Drivers & Commitments. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-1-FACTSHEET-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndclimate, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals Factsheet: Climate Change – Science, Drivers \& Commitments}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-1-FACTSHEET-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }