The IPCC has warned that about half of the world’s population is currently very vulnerable to disasters stemming from the burning of fossil fuels.
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The fight to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius has reached “now or never” territory, according to a new report released Monday by the world’s top climate scientists. .
The much-anticipated report, slightly delayed due to last-minute disputes over the exact wording of the document, says limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-money industry will require greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 at the latest.
At the same time, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, would also need to be reduced by about a third.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said it was “nearly inevitable” that humanity would quickly surpass the critical temperature threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius in this scenario, but it could become below this level by the end of the century.
Jim Skea, co-chair of IPCC Working Group III, said in a statement accompanying the report: “It is now or never if we are to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. “Without immediate and far-reaching emissions cuts across all sectors, it will not be possible.”
The 1.5 degree Celsius target is the desired temperature threshold specified in The turning point of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It is recognized as an important global target because beyond this the so-called tipping point becomes more likely. These are the thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic changes in the entire Earth’s life-support system.
People were afraid that Russia’s unprovoked attack in Ukraine could overshadow the findings, despite the fact that the report could be the last comprehensive review of climate science while there is still time to ensure a livable future.
We’re not talking about transitions anymore. That ship was already at sea – or generally not at sea. Instead, the report focuses heavily on conversions.
Julia Steinberger
Eco-economist and professor from the University of Lausanne
The report marks the third installment from the IPCC in less than eight months, with an additional document scheduled for the end of the year. Reviewed previous episodes reason and impact climate emergency but the issue is focused on mitigation.
“The first thing is, we are going in the wrong direction,” Julia Steinberger, an ecological economist and professor from Switzerland’s University of Lausanne, told CNBC by phone. “In terms of trajectory and also in policy, we are not on track with 1.5 or even 2 degrees.”
Steinberger, lead author of the IPCC’s latest report, describes the warning that global emissions must peak by 2025 at the latest as “a bomb” if little time is left to avert the worst. caused by the climate crisis.
“We’re not talking about the transition any more,” Steinberger said. That ship has set sail – or, rather, can’t set sail. Instead, the report focuses a lot on the transition.
“I do think the report contains positive elements. For the first time in human history, we have available technologies that allow us to live a comfortable life without spending a lot of money. a huge amount of energy,” she added. “This is pretty much the first time we’ve been able to legitimately think about the paths to getting through the age of burn-in – and is that interesting?”
Environmental activists march from Lafayette Square to Capitol Hill during the Global Climate Strike event on March 25, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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The IPCC’s latest report follows a series of extreme weather events around the world. For example, in just the past few weeks, an ice shelf the size of New York City collapse in East Antarctica after record high temperature and heavy rain Australia’s east coast is dividedengulf the whole town.
The dire scenario has led to mass youth climate strikes since 2019 last month, with hundreds of thousands of environmental activists from 93 countries on all continents marching under the banner of “#PeopleNotProfit.” The Fridays for the Future movement calls for climate justice and repair.
What does the report say?
IPCC President Hoesung Lee said the report showed humanity was at a “crossroads”, but that the tools and know-how needed to limit global warming were still available.
“I’m encouraged by the climate action being taken in many countries,” Lee said. “There are policies, regulations and market instruments that are working. If these policies, regulations and tools are replicated and applied more widely and equitably, they could support deflation. deep discharge and stimulate innovation.”
The United Nations climate commission has said that to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius this century, emissions from warming gases must be halved by the end of the decade.
The IPCC scientists also echoed calls for a dramatic reduction in fossil fuel use to limit global warming, which is currently 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Heavy rains split Australia’s east coast in early March, submerging entire towns.
Lisa Maree Williams | Getty Images News | beautiful pictures
Reacting to the IPCC’s findings on Monday, US Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said it “represents a defining moment for our planet.”
“The stakes were clear,” Kerry said. “Complacency will be met by irreversible and unimaginable effects from climate change.”
Global average annual greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history from 2010 to 2019, the report said, but the rate of increase has slowed. This coincides with growing evidence for climate action, but the report warns that limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees will not be possible without emissions reductions. Instantly and deeply on all areas.
These cuts will require major transformations in the energy sector, including a drastic reduction in fossil fuel use, widespread electrification, improved energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, the report said. alternative fuels – such as hydrogen.
Cities are believed to offer significant emissions reduction opportunities. This can be achieved through lower energy consumption, vehicle electrification combined with low-emission energy sources, and enhanced carbon sequestration and storage capacity, the report says. natural use.
“Climate change is the result of more than a century of unsustainable energy and land uses, lifestyles and ways of consumption and production,” said IPCC’s Skea. “This report shows how acting now can help us move towards a fairer, more sustainable world.”
What is IPCC?
The IPCC is the UN agency of 195 member countries that reviews science related to the climate crisis on behalf of governments every few years. It is currently in its sixth review cycle, having published its first major report in 1990.
The first part of the IPCC Friday Assessment Report, published in August, focusing on the physical scientific basis of climate change. The results clearly show that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will soon be out of reach without immediate and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The second major report looked at climate impacts and found that about half of the world’s population is now highly vulnerable to disasters stemming from the burning of fossil fuels. Published at the end of FebruaryIt warned that any further delay in coordinated global actions “would miss the moment of brief and swift closure to ensure a livable future.”
The final part of the IPCC’s sixth review cycle is the so-called “Consolidation Report”, which combines the findings of each of the previous three. This is expected to be published in September.
