Ticking Climate Clock

The latest climate change report from the United Nations gives the world until 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or face an irreversible slide into global disaster.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that average world surface temperatures could rise by 3 degrees Celsius by 2100, and possibly even more, if no measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. And even if greenhouse gas emissions are capped, they predict the world could experience more droughts, heat waves and a slow gain in sea levels that could continue for more than 1,000 years.

Behind the statistics, the message is clear: time is running out. The clock is ticking much faster than most experts first thought. The window of opportunity for the world's leaders to act is rapidly closing.

Here DW-WORLD.DE presents a special dossier of the latest stories from the front line of environmental politics, detailing the efforts of the international community as it faces a potentially catastrophic challenge.