In order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the world needs to make a serious U-turn over the next three years, according to a new report. The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that it is possible to do so, but only with serious, immediate, and sustained action across all aspects of society. We don't have much wiggle room when it comes to our addiction to oil, gas, and coal. The amount of fossil fuel infrastructure that currently exists or is planned worldwide is enough to push us into levels of warming that are over the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, according to a report. Jim Skea said in a statement that it is now or never if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C. Every six to seven years, hundreds of scientists from around the world gather to review tens of thousands of scientific studies on climate change, releasing their overall findings in three segments that shape climate knowledge and guide policy around the world. The first segment of the physical science behind climate change was released last summer and it found that the world is on track to exceed the Paris Agreement's minimum warming limit earlier than expected. At the tail end of February, the second outlined how climate change is changing and will change on wildlife and human society. It's fancy. An Always-on Retina display can measure blood oxygen, is dust resistant, swim-proof, and give you information about your health.
What’s in the IPCC Report
Today's part deals with what to do about the findings in the other two reports, assessing the chance of fixing how fucked we are. The next version of the report will likely come out later this decade, after some crucial milestones for reducing emissions have already passed. This one is going to be important in getting the world in gear.
There are a few positive signs that we are reversing course, as the rate of growth of global greenhouse gas emissions did slow down in the last decade. The call to action is as urgent as it has ever been.
The Paris Agreement set out a minimum goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius and a stretch goal of limiting emissions to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To stay below the 1.5 degree line, global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak by the year 2025. Thanks to the amount of emissions we have already put into the atmosphere, we are almost certainly going to blow past that 1.5 degree mark in the next few decades, but reaching these targets can help us bend the curve back down to more manageable levels.
The report finds that early retirements or decreased utilization of energy-related fossil fuel infrastructure are key to making this happen. The report finds that emissions from the world's existing infrastructure would still blow us past 1.5 degrees C even if we stopped building infrastructure tomorrow. Including emissions from planned investments in expanding the reach of fossil fuels would increase the temperature by 2 degrees C.
The report throws cold water on the efficacy of strategies that many businesses, including fossil fuel companies, have claimed are equivalent to emissions cuts. Carbon dioxide capture and storage and nuclear energy have had lower growth rates than smaller-scale solutions like wind and solar. Carbon dioxide removal technologies have not yet been effective enough to take the place of deep and serious cuts to emissions, and while planting trees, preserving soils, and other forms of conservativism will be necessary, they are not a band-aid for continued fossil fuel use.
The release of the report was not without some drama. While scientists assemble the reports themselves, representatives from every country approve a summary of the findings intended to shape policy.
This report is the longest talks in the history of the process. Sources told news outlets that one of the key issues was how strong the statements should be, with representatives from countries like Saudi Arabia pushing for softer language that wouldn't malign fossil fuels too much.
The process of righting this ship will be difficult, as shown by the tumult around the report's release. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, told the Washington Post that the changes they need will involve political courage.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
