10 things you need to know today: November 2, 2014

A major U.N. report warns that "irreversible" damage could destroy the planet's ecosystems
(Image credit: Alexandra Beier / Getty Images)

1. U.N. report warns of 'irreversible' impacts of climate change

A failure to swiftly rein in greenhouse gas emissions will send the planet hurtling toward "severe, pervasive and irreversible" consequences, according to a new United Nations report. Adopted Saturday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the 175-page report is the fifth and final document to emerge from the group since 1990. It warns in the starkest terms yet that humans are causing climate change, and that the ramifications are no longer theoretical but are already being felt in the form of warming oceans and extreme weather patterns. "Science has spoken," U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon said Sunday in announcing the report. "Time is not on our side."

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.