UN calls for net-zero electricity, end to coal in less than two decades, after climate change report

A United Nations panel issued a report Monday stating little time remains to tackle climate change before it is too late.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that he will present an "Acceleration Agenda" with actions for countries to take to fight climate change. 

"The agenda calls for an end to coal, net-zero electricity generation by 2035 for all developed countries and 2040 for the rest of the world, and a stop to all licensing or funding of new oil and gas, and any expansion of existing oil and gas reserves," the United Nations said. 

Temperatures are 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than pre-industrial levels, which the U.N. said has created "more frequent and more intense extreme weather events" around the world.

While the earth has warmed, not everyone agrees about what exactly has caused the change, particularly that fossil fuel is the major factor.