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Nations have delayed curbingtheir fossil-fuel emissions for solong that they can no longer stopglobal warming from intensifyingover the next 30 years, thoughthere is still a short window to pre-vent the most harrowing future, amajor new United Nations scien-tific report has concluded.

Humans have already heatedthe planet by roughly 1.1 degreesCelsius, or 2 degrees Fahrenheit,since the 19th century, largely byburning coal, oil and gas for ener-gy. And the consequences can befelt across the globe: This sum-mer alone, blistering heat waveshave killed hundreds of people inthe United States and Canada,floods have devastated Germanyand China, and wildfires haveraged out of control in Siberia,Turkey and Greece.

But that’s only the beginning,according to the report, issued onMonday by the Intergovernmen-tal Panel on Climate Change, abody of scientists convened by theUnited Nations. Even if nationsstarted sharply cutting emissionstoday, total global warming islikely to rise to around 1.5 degreesCelsius within the next two dec-ades, a hotter future that is nowessentially locked in.

At 1.5 degrees of warming, sci-entists have found, the dangersgrow considerably. Nearly one bil-lion people worldwide could swel-ter in more frequent life-threat-ening heat waves. Hundreds ofmillions more would struggle forwater because of severe droughts.Some animal and plant speciesalive today will be gone. Coralreefs, which sustain fisheries forlarge swaths of the globe, will suf-fer more frequent mass die-offs.

“We can expect a significantjump in extreme weather over thenext 20 or 30 years,” said PiersForster, a climate scientist at theUniversity of Leeds and one ofhundreds of international experts

who helped write the report.“Things are unfortunately likelyto get worse than they are today.”

Not all is lost, however, and hu-manity can still prevent the planetfrom getting even hotter. Doing sowould require a coordinated effortamong countries to stop addingcarbon dioxide to the atmosphereby around 2050, which would en-tail a rapid shift away from fossilfuels starting immediately, as wellas potentially removing vastamounts of carbon from the air. Ifthat happened, global warmingwould probably halt and level offat around 1.5 degrees Celsius, thereport concludes.

But if nations fail in that effort,global average temperatures willkeep rising — potentially passing2 degrees, 3 degrees or even 4 de-grees Celsius, compared with thepreindustrial era. The report de-scribes how every additional de-gree of warming brings far great-er perils, such as ever more vi-cious floods and heat waves, wors-ening droughts and acceleratingsea-level rise that could threatenthe existence of some island na-tions. The hotter the planet gets,the greater the risks of crossingdangerous “tipping points,” likethe irreversible collapse of the im-mense ice sheets in Greenlandand West Antarctica.

“There’s no going back fromsome changes in the climate sys-tem,” said Ko Barrett, a vice-chairof the panel and a senior adviserfor climate at the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Admin-istration. But, she added, immedi-ate and sustained emissions cuts“could really make a difference inthe climate future we have aheadof us.”

The report, approved by 195governments and based on morethan 14,000 studies, is the mostcomprehensive summary to dateof the physical science of climate

A HOTTER FUTUREIS NOW INEVITABLE,

A U.N. REPORT SAYSScientists Urge Immediate Switch From

Fossil Fuels to Avert Greater Perils

By BRAD PLUMER and HENRY FOUNTAIN

Continued on Page A8

DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Helped by its seventh straight title in women’s basketball, the U.S. ended atop the medal count at a bizarre Olympics. Page D2.A Glittering Finish

The metal barriers go up everyday at 8 a.m. to keep the cars atbay.

Then 34th Avenue turns into a1.3-mile-long block party. It servesas a connector not for vehicles butfor people in a space-starved,melting pot neighborhood inQueens.

People come out for coffeebreaks and stay for free classes inyoga, zumba, salsa and Mexicanfolk dance. A pop-up circusbrought clowns, jugglers and ac-robats to delight children. Dogs inrainbow-hued outfits and their

owners marched together in apride parade. One couple even gotmarried on the avenue with astate senator officiating.

“This is a whole exercise inwhat is possible,” said MyrnaTinoco, 45, a social worker whoroller skates on the avenue withher 6-year-old son. “At a min-imum, just to have the legroom to

On Car-Free Streets, Rethinking Urban LivingBy WINNIE HU

Children racing on 34th Avenue in Queens, which is closed to vehicles to give people more space.MARY INHEA KANG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

A CITY STIRS

A Lesson in Queens

Continued on Page A14

Will Grogan stared blankly athis ninth-grade biology class-work. It was material he had mas-tered the day before, but it lookedutterly unfamiliar.

“I don’t know what you’re talk-ing about,” he blurted. His teacherand classmates reminded himhow adeptly he’d answered ques-tions about the topic during theprevious class. “I’ve never seenthis before,” he insisted, becomingso distressed that the teacher ex-cused him to visit the schoolnurse.

The episode, earlier this year,was one of numerous cognitivemix-ups that plagued Will, 15, af-ter he contracted the coronavirusin October, along with issues likefatigue and severe leg pain.

As young people across thecountry prepare to return toschool, many are struggling to re-cover from lingering post-Covidneurological, physical or psychiat-ric symptoms. Often called “longCovid,” the symptoms and theirduration vary, as does the sever-ity.

Studies estimate long Covidmay affect between 10 percentand 30 percent of adults infectedwith the coronavirus. Estimatesfrom the handful of studies of chil-dren so far range widely. At an

Lingering CovidDisrupts Lives

Of YoungstersBy PAM BELLUCK

Continued on Page A13

When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomowas holding his marathon ses-sions of news briefings during thepeak of the coronavirus crisis, hewas often flanked by his closestaides.

Notably absent was KathyHochul, his lieutenant governor.

When Mr. Cuomo published abook that portrayed him as a hero-ic leader during the pandemic, hehighlighted the roles played by aslew of his top aides. He made nomention of Ms. Hochul.

But for Ms. Hochul, being mar-ginalized by her boss might nowbe a blessing.

After a damning state attorneygeneral report concluded Mr.Cuomo had sexually harassed 11women, most of them current orformer state employees, he is nowfacing deafening calls for his res-ignation and possible impeach-ment.

Brittany Commisso, who ac-cused Mr. Cuomo of groping herand filed a criminal complaintagainst him, came forward pub-licly in excerpts released Sundayof an interview that will air onMonday. And the governor’s topaide, Melissa DeRosa, who hadbeen accused of trying to retaliateagainst one of his accusers, said

Cuomo’s DeputyReadies for CallAs Boss Teeters

By DANA RUBINSTEIN

Continued on Page A10

WASHINGTON — If the Tal-iban had seized three provincialcapitals in northern Afghanistan ayear ago, like they did on Sunday,the American response wouldmost likely have been ferocious.Fighter jets and helicopter gun-ships would have responded inforce, beating back the Islamistgroup or, at the very least, stallingits advance.

But these are different times.What aircraft the U.S. militarycould muster from hundreds ofmiles away struck a cache ofweapons far from Kunduz, Taliqan

or Sari-i-pol, the cities that al-ready had been all but lost to theTaliban.

The muted American responseon Sunday showed in no uncertainterms that America’s 20-year warin Afghanistan is over. The mis-managed and exhausted Afghanforces will have to retake the citieson their own, or leave them to theTaliban for good.

The recent string of Taliban mil-

itary victories has not movedPresident Biden to reassess hisdecision to end the U.S. combatmission by the end of the month,senior administration officialssaid Sunday. But the violenceshows just how difficult it will befor Mr. Biden to extract Americafrom the war while insisting thathe is not abandoning the countryin the middle of a brutal Taliban of-fensive.

In a speech defending the U.S.withdrawal last month, Mr. Bidensaid the United States had donemore than enough to empower theAfghan police and military to se-cure the future of their people.U.S. officials have acknowledged

Signal as U.S. Mission Ends: You’re on Your OwnThis article is by Helene Cooper,

Katie Rogers and Thomas Gibbons-Neff.

Afghan Forces ReceiveScant Assistance as

Incursions Grow

Continued on Page A6

KABUL, Afghanistan — TheTaliban seized three Afghan citieson Sunday, including the commer-cial hub of Kunduz, officials said,escalating a sweeping offensivethat has claimed five provincialcapitals in three days and shownhow little control the governmenthas over the country withoutAmerican military power to pro-tect it.

Never before in 20 years of warhad the Taliban directly assaultedmore than one provincial capitalat a time. Now, three fell on Sun-day alone — Kunduz, Sar-i-Puland Taliqan, all in the north — andeven more populous cities are un-der siege, in a devastating setback

for the Afghan government.The fall of these cities is taking

place just weeks before U.S. forcesare set to complete a total with-drawal from Afghanistan, layingbare a difficult predicament forPresident Biden.

Since the U.S. withdrawal be-gan, the Taliban have capturedmore than half of Afghanistan’s400-odd districts, according tosome assessments. And their re-cent attacks on provincial capitalshave violated the 2020 peace dealbetween the Taliban and the

3 AFGHAN CITIES FALL TO TALIBAN

Insurgents Move Closerto Cementing Power

This article is by Christina Gold-baum, Najim Rahim, Sharif Hassanand Thomas Gibbons-Neff.

A Taliban flag flying in Kun-duz, Afghanistan, on Sunday.

ABDULLAH SAHIL/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Continued on Page A6

A centuries-old tradition in which wom-en declare themselves men to enjoymale privilege is dying out. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-8

In Albania, a Fading FraternityLeïla Slimani’s latest book is modeledon her grandmother’s immigration fromFrance to Morocco. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-6

A Novelist Gets PersonalBobby Bowden turned Florida Stateinto a national powerhouse and becameone of the most successful figures in thecollege game. He was 91. PAGE B7

OBITUARIES B7-8

Transformative Football Coach

Experts studying illnesses affectingscores of U.S. officials are still strug-gling to prove a theory that Russianagents are involved. PAGE A15

NATIONAL A9-15

Suspected Attacks a MysteryThe once-clubby world of start-up dealmaking known as “angel investing” hashad an influx of new participants. It’spart of a wider boom in ever-riskierinvestments. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-6

Venture Capital Opens Up

“Grass roots” groups loyal to Beijingare making it hard for the pro-democra-cy camp to win city elections. PAGE A8

Choosing Hong Kong’s Leaders

Many parents of young children say therise of the Delta variant has resulted intoo much uncertainty over child careand what schools plan to do in the fall,making them wait to work. PAGE B1

A Return to Jobs on HoldThe author J.D. Vance walks back hiscriticisms of Donald Trump as he aimsfor a Senate seat in Ohio. PAGE A9

Running for Office as a Convert

A ban on cars in Golden Gate Parkfrustrates San Francisco museums, butcyclists cheer. PAGE C1

Road Less Traveled

Charles M. Blow PAGE A17

OPINION A16-17Anthony Rizzo said in June that he wasnot vaccinated against the coronavirusbecause he needed more data. PAGE D11

SPORTS D1-12

Yankees’ Rizzo Tests Positive

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX . . . No. 59,145 © 2021 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2021

Today, partly sunny, humid, high 83.Tonight, a few clouds, muggy, low72. Tomorrow, intervals of cloudsand sunshine, humid, high 85.Weather map appears on Page A18.

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