If the pledges made in Paris at COP21 to limit global warming are not turned into action, the Earth's temperature is on track to reach a 'disastrous' three degree rise by 2100.
That is according to a research from climate consultancy South Pole Group.
'It will change the world if we stay on this track,' said the group's CEO and co-founder Renat Heuberger during a webinar on Wednesday.
'However, if Paris works, and pledges become a reality, we will be on track for a 2.4 -2.7% increase of warming, which is still very heavy in terms of consequences.'
Heuberger argued that if a target below two degrees is to be reached, the entire world economy would need to decarbonise.
'This means going carbon neutral, globally, by the end of the century. This is probably the most massive transformation that we've ever seen, bigger than all the industrial revolutions we have seen in the past.'
Topping Davos agenda
His comments come as the World Economic Forum publishes the results of its annual survey, revealing that extreme weather events and major natural disasters ranked first and third respectively in the top five global risks for 2017.
The survey polled 750 of the group's members, including CEOs, leaders and experts in various fields. Large-scale involuntary migration, terrorist attacks and data fraud/theft made up the rest of the top five.
While a challenge of epic proportions, the South Pole chief was excited by what he described as climate change's 'iPhone curve', a rapid trajectory akin to smartphone pickup, powered by investors' desire for more climate-related data.
