This is the work of our lifetime: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges action after new UN climate report

NPR | By Joel Rose,

Henry Larson, Sarah Robbins

Published September 5, 2026 at 3:01 PM MDT

A United Nations report has found that the world will warm to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate solutions advocate Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges a quicker implementation of known strategies - and determination rather than despair.

Joel Rose

Joel Rose is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk. As the network’s transportation correspondent since 2023, Rose’s reporting focuses on roadway and pedestrian safety, an air travel system under stress and how emerging technologies are changing the ways we get around.

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Henry Larson

Sarah Robbins