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In the three decades that scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have published important reports on the state of the climate, they have expressed increasing certainty about what is happening and why.

The latest report by the panel convened by the United Nations is the most definitive yet. More than 200 scientists studying thousands of climate studies have abandoned the slightest doubt that Earth’s climate is changing through emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, and that humans are the cause.

“Absolutely” is one of the words they use, because I reported with my colleague Brad Plumer.

Apart from that, scientists later gave some dire news. Humans have vented so much gas into the atmosphere over the past century that whatever happens now, the world will continue to warm until at least 2050, reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius, the report said, made public on Monday. Warming to the ambitious limit of 2.7 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the target of the 2015 Paris Agreement, is long before that, perhaps even by the end of this decade.

The report details what this will mean: Over the next 30 years or more, there will be more severe torrential events resulting in more, hotter heatwaves, longer and more intense droughts and flooding.

It really is terrible. But there was a glimmer of hope in the report, too. The scientists’ analysis showed that if people make sudden, rapid and widespread cuts in emissions, warming could be limited to 1.5 degrees after the middle of the century as the climate stabilizes.

So if scientists were sure of what humans were doing to the climate, they were also sure of a way out of this mess. The uncertainty at the moment, and it’s huge, is whether people will act early enough and fast enough to consider what the scientists are saying.

Five takeaways: The report, based on an analysis of more than 14,000 studies, The clearest and most comprehensive summary ever from the physical science of climate change.

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‘It hits us like a hammer’ for developing countries

United Nations report this week Raised risks for international climate talks in Glasgow in NovemberThe countries most vulnerable to rising temperatures are demanding that the world’s biggest polluting countries begin reducing their emissions immediately.

Representatives of developing countries said they would put new pressure on wealthy, industrialized countries whose emissions have so far caused atmospheric warming to compensate for the damage they have done. Also, given the currently ongoing warming and clearly visible extreme weather events, vulnerable island nations intend to seek grants and investments to fund relocation efforts, early warning systems and other critical steps nations must take to adapt to a changing climate. .

quotation: “What science is saying right now is actually happening before our eyes,” said a senior climate ambassador from Pakistan. “It’s like a hammer hitting our head every day.”

Hundreds of extra deaths in June heatwave

During the deadly heat wave that swept Oregon and Washington in late June, nearly 600 more people died than is typical. review of death data for crisis week shows.

The number is three times the state’s official estimates of heat-related deaths so far. He suggests that the true impact of the heatwave affecting states and provinces in the Pacific Northwest may be much greater than previously reported.

region this week steeling itself for extreme heat once again.

Senate approves $3.5 trillion budget plan

The plan, which will expand Medicaid, provides free preschool and community college, and funding climate change programshas crossed the party lines and is faced with a rough road ahead.

Meet the Veggie newsletter

Would you like to eat less meat? If so, you are not alone. In a recent poll of Times readers, more than half said they would like to cook with more vegetables. We can help with that: The Times’ latest newsletter, The Veggie, will offer tips on how to build a vegetarian pantry. And of course, there will be recipes every week. It’s free and you can register here.

Pressure to phase out petrol cars

President Biden announced A multi-step strategy aimed at rapidly shifting Americans from gasoline-powered cars and trucks towards electric vehicles – a central part of the planet-warming pollution reduction plan.

Biden is first restoring and somewhat strengthening automobile mileage standards to levels that existed under President Barack Obama but weakened during the Trump administration. The administration now plans to introduce even stricter pollution rules for both passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks, designed to force automakers to increase sales of electric vehicles.

Numbers: The White House estimates that the regulations will reduce two billion tons of carbon dioxide, about one-third of the total annual carbon dioxide pollution produced by the United States, and prevent the burning of approximately 200 billion gallons of gasoline over the lifetime of the vehicles covered. According to the rules.

Also important this week:

And finally:

How electric car incentives support the rich

Why don’t more people drive electric cars? There are several reasons, but one of the biggest is the price tag. They cost much more than gasoline vehicles.

For example, a top-of-the-line Tesla Model S starts at just over $80,000. On the low end, a Chevrolet Bolt starts at $31,000, about $10,000 more than a larger petrol sedan like the Chevy Malibu.

But that’s not the whole story. There are government incentives to help EV buyers. However, these programs heavily favor wealthy families compared to average families.

One buyer said the incentives actually “subsidize my luxury.” You can do read full article here.

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