IPCC report: 'now or never' if world is to stave off climate disaster [View all]

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

The world can still hope to stave off the worst ravages of climate breakdown but only through a “now or never” dash to a low-carbon economy and society, scientists have said in what is in effect a final warning for governments on the climate.

Greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025, and can be nearly halved this decade, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to give the world a chance of limiting future heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

The final cost of doing so will be minimal, amounting to just a few percent of global GDP by mid-century, though it will require a massive effort by governments, businesses and individuals.

But the chances were narrow and the world was failing to make the changes needed, the body of the world’s leading climate scientists warned. Temperatures will soar to more than 3C, with catastrophic consequences, unless policies and actions are urgently strengthened.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/04/ipcc-report-now-or-never-if-world-stave-off-climate-disaster

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Summary for Policymakers: https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf

The cost of ending the climate crisis is small, the IPCC concludes. Global GDP is expected to double by 2050 and halving emissions by 2030, to keep on track for 1.5C, would shave 1-2% of that doubling. Taking into account the climate damages avoided and the savings in adapting to extreme weather, investing in emissions cuts saves money.
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The IPCC also emphasises the inequality of global heating and the need for climate justice. The Least Developed Countries (LDC), a grouping of 46 nations, have contributed less than 0.4% of emissions since 1850. The Small Island Developing States, 38 countries that face disappearing under rising seas, contributed 0.5%.

In contrast, the IPCC states that, globally, the 10% of households with the highest per capita emissions contribute 34-45% of global consumption-based emissions. North Americans have a CO2 footprint of nearly 20 tonnes a year, while people in Africa and South Asia are below five tonnes.

A net zero future can be achieved, the IPPC says, while bringing millions out of poverty, but the finance needed is missing: “Financial flows fall short of the levels needed to achieve [emission-cutting] goals across all sectors and regions.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/04/its-over-for-fossil-fuels-ipcc-spells-out-whats-needed-to-avert-climate-disaster