KEY FINDINGS FROM THE IPCC REPORT
“CODE RED FOR HUMANITY”. According to the IPCC report released yesterday by the world’s top climate scientists, we’re on the verge of a tipping point toward irreversible runaway climate change.
"If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.” UN Secretary General António Guterres
Admittedly there wasn’t a whole lot of good news, in the new IPCC report released on August 8 by the worlds top climate scientists. However, there is hope and that hope is rooted in immediate and ambitious action by governments and businesses to decarbonize the global economy. Here are some of the key findings;
#1. Scientists have no doubt that human activities have warmed the planet.
#2. Rapid and widespread changes have occurred in the planet’s climate and some impacts are now locked in.
#3. Improved attribution science finds evidence of humankind’s impact throughout the climate system, human-caused emissions are now responsible for an altered, less stable planet.
#4. Scientists are clear on the need to tackle greenhouse gases other than CO2 in the near-term, emissions of methane - a powerful greenhouse gas - are of particular concern.
#5. The natural world will be damaged by further warming, and so the land and ocean ecosystems have a limited capacity to help us solve the climate challenge.
#6. Decision makers need to implement net zero plans if we are to stop warming.
#7. Carbon dioxide removal technology is a crucial net zero tool, but one that will only be useful when accompanied by swift and deep emissions reductions.
If you want more information on the IPCC, check out this great article from the BBC.