According to the latest U.N. climate report, the world is on track to reach catastrophic levels of warming — more than double the 1.5 degrees Celsius target set by the Paris Agreement. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called it “a file of shame.”
But the report also focuses on what can still be done to minimize climate impacts: the rapid phaseout of fossil fuels, big new investments in decarbonization, and a commitment from wealthier countries to help reduce climate impacts in the regions that are most affected.
Those are familiar calls. What is new is a recommendation for where to get funding for these responses: military budgets. “Moderate reductions in military spending,” the authors advise, “could free up considerable resources” to meet sustainable development goals and fight climate change.
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