Despite climate change warnings issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1990, global emissions have continued to rise over the past decade, reaching a record high. read more The result: global emissions are well on their way to surpassing the 1.5 degree Celsius heating threshold set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement and reaching around 3.2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “We left COP26 in Glasgow with a naive optimism, based on new promises and commitments,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. “But the current climate commitments will (still) mean a 14% increase in emissions. And most major broadcasters are not taking the necessary steps to deliver on even these inadequate promises.” At this point, only severe emissions cuts this decade in all sectors, from agriculture and transportation to energy and buildings, can turn things around, the report said. Even then, governments will also have to step up efforts to plant more trees and develop technologies that could remove some of the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere after more than a century of industrial activity. read more “It’s now or never,” said Jim Skea, co-chair of the IPCC report, in a statement accompanying the report – the last in a series of three parts by the IPCC, with the next review cycle not expected for at least another five years. DRAMA AND DELAY While other recent IPCC reports on the latest findings in the science of climate change as well as ways to adapt the world to a warmer world, Monday’s emission limitations have been addressed – making it one of the package’s most controversial reports for governments. Some scientists described the process as “devastating” and the IPCC was forced to delay the public release of the report by six hours on Monday. The final approval of the key summary of the report for policymakers – which requires signature from all countries – followed a marathon overtime meeting at the weekend as government officials challenged the wording. “Different countries have different interests,” said IPCC co-author and climate scientist Jan Minx. “Everyone wants to make sure their concerns are addressed … but scientists have the last word.” Following the publication of the report, EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans urged European policymakers to redouble their efforts to end their dependence on Russian coal, gas and oil. “The war in Ukraine has increased the sense of urgency because now no one can find an excuse, in my view, for not rushing an end to the overuse of fossil fuels,” Timmermans told the European Parliament. “We can not continue to import huge quantities of fossil fuels.” CUT DEMAND While previous IPCC reports on carbon offsets tended to focus on promising sustainable alternative fuels such as solar and wind energy, the new report uniquely underscores the need to reduce consumer demand. “Most people thought that reducing demand could be achieved through efficiency improvements,” said economics anthropologist Jason Hickel at the London School of Economics. “But the evidence we have now shows that this alone will not be enough.” Without shrinking energy demand, the report notes, rapidly reducing emissions by the end of this decade to keep temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius will be nearly impossible. “Accepting a lower-consumption lifestyle is almost the only rapid policy move we can make to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change,” said Daniel Quiggin, an environmental researcher at the UK’s Chatham House Policy Institute. This “demand-side mitigation”, the report points out, places the burden on governments to adopt policies that motivate sustainable choices. An example would be investing in bike lanes and public transportation, while blocking cars from city centers to influence public choices. Such action could slow economic growth by a few percentage points in the short term, the report said, but those losses will be offset by the economic benefits of preventing extreme climate change. A decade ago, declining demand was “politically unfortunate,” Quiggin said. “But now, with both the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, we see the beginning of political will. When people really appreciate the magnitude of a crisis and the problems it can create, they are willing to cut back on consumption. “ Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Gloria Dickie. Additional references by Kate Abnett. Editing by Katy Daigle and Lisa Shumaker Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
