“It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” IPCC Working Group III co-chair Jim Skea said.
Did you know that an IPCC report takes at large seven years to compile and according to the report this should be taken as a final warning to the awaiting climate crisis that the world is yet to witness? The last and final of the IPCC Report was released on April 4th, and proved to be a comprehensive take on Climate Science that drew on the work of thousands of scientists. The latest report is the final third part of a series of reports released by IPCC, the first focusing on anthropogenic activities and its irreversible impact on the environment and second about climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The report follows a series of mind-bending extreme weather events worldwide. For example, weeks before its release an ice shelf the size of New York City collapsed in East Antarctica following record high temperatures and heavy rains deluged Australia’s east coast, submerging entire towns.
Key Pointers:
- Global temperatures are inevitable to rise above 1.5-degree Celsius and many of the impacts of this rise would be irreversible.
- Average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history from 2010 through to 2019, but the rate of growth has since slowed.
- With global politics taking a huge turnover with the war in Ukraine, energy prices have soared like never before. The inflation has skyrocketed the global food and energy prices.
We need to cut down on global greenhouse gas emissions by half by the time we reach 2030 and reach net zero emission levels by 2050 in order to secure a sustainable future.
Coal usage is to be limited and used very judiciously if we are to achieve the above goals. - The level of Methane in the air needs to be controlled too since this gas has more than 80 times the warming power of CO2 in the short term.
Methane emissions come from a variety of sources such as leaky oil, gas and coal infrastructure and mines. They also come from landfill and agricultural practices. Therefore, slashing methane emissions was one of the fastest ways to turn down the heat. - We need to shift our ways and means of livelihood surrounding a low carbon emission pattern. The advancement in technology needs to be green based such as investing in Electric Vehicles, Hydrogen fuel and Carbon Capture and Storage.
- Various scientists working on the report have varied thoughts and insights to offer.
While few believed that until and unless social justice is put to place in various developing nations equal distribution of climate effective measures are not applicable directly. - It is high time that we think beyond ‘Carbon Di-oxide Removal’ (CDR) by means of afforestation and invest more in newer technologies such as carbon suction machinery that is still in its nascent stages and has a limited reach.
- In this age of capitalism, it is also important to shape the way consumer choices are presented that would motivate people to adopt a low carbon intensive lifestyle that includes more of plant-based diets, reduction in food waste, better waste management techniques and looking for alternative renewable energy options.
- Although finance policies have increased, and there are regulations and market instruments which are proving effective, wealthy nations still need to share their wealth to invest in greener alternatives which can help low- and middle-income nations rise and be at par with being able to implement those alternatives.
Conclusion
This report therefore was a repeated call by scientists for a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use to curb global heating, now at 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate Change is therefore real and this report needs to be taken as an indicator to the perils of it in the future and how we must act on it to avoid those perils.
About the Report
The last and final of the IPCC Report was released on April 4th, and proved to be a comprehensive take on Climate Science that drew on the work of thousands of scientists and provided scientific information to governments at all levels to develop climate policies.
The latest report is the final third part of a series of reports released by IPCC, the first focusing on anthropogenic activities and its irreversible impact on the environment and second about climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Finally, a synthesis of all three reports will be published in October 2022, ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Egypt.
Read the report here.
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