UN Releases Climate Report: What It Means For New England Residents, Economies

BOSTON (CBS) -- A new climate report from the United Nations came with a dire warning: we are running out of ways to adapt to climate change. There is increasing danger to people, plants, animals, ecosystems, and economies with the people at risk in the billions and potential damages in the trillions of dollars.

"There is a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a livable future on the planet," said Hans-Otto Portner who is Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

If countries don't do more to adapt to warming, there will be an unavoidable increase in risks.

According to the report, a warming world and an increase in extreme weather events will lead to more people being displaced from homes. The amount of land burned by wildfires globally could increase by 35%. Some parts of the world would become uninhabitable, the number of species would decline, coral disappear, ice melt and sea levels will rise.

The study states by 2050, a billion people will be at risk for coastal flooding.

Here in New England, sea level rise continues to be one of the most concerning impacts of climate change. A recent report by NOAA highlights by 2050, sea levels are projected to rise an additional 10" to 14" along the east coast. Ultimately, that would increase the frequency of flooding events and extent of damage from coastal flooding locally.

In 2015, under the Paris Agreement, the world adopted a goal to limit warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

The latest climate report states that threshold is even more important now as we are already two degrees warmer than pre-industrial times and emissions are still rising.

We'll continue to bring you the latest information on climate change and the impacts to our local communities through our Eye on Earth series on WBZ.