IPCC Climate Change Mitigation Report: What you need to know.
Early in April, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the second part of their sixth evaluation report. This report primarily focuses on mitigation of further climate change, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. As part of this report, the IPCC outlines the consequences we will see if we do not take drastic action immediately and shares the transformations that need to happen in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius.
Key Takeaways
Setting more ambitious goals:
This report states that in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius as outlined in the Paris Agreement, emissions would need to peak before 2025, and then fall 43% by 2030. Currently, there has been progress made towards limiting GHG emissions, however it is simply not enough as it stands. According to the world resources institute,
”…even if countries achieve their most recent national climate commitments (NDCs), the gap between global GHG emissions and the level associated with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C would be 19-26 GtCO2e in 2030. This is more than the 2018 emissions from the United States and China combined. While some countries have announced new or enhanced NDCs since the IPCC’s cut-off date, these pledges are not ambitious enough to close the gap.”
Fossil fuel infrastructure:
Next, this report outlines that any new fossil fuel projects would need to halt all together. Essentially, there is no room to expand on fossil fuel infrastructure whatsoever as the current infrastructure already poses a significant risk to overshooting the 1.5 Degree C goal.
Massive transformation across systems:
IPCC report found that in order to reach the goals set to avoid catastrophic damage to the planet, there must be transformations within every system. This includes governments, the private sector, civil society, and even comes down to investing significantly more financial resources to climate mitigation.
Some system changes include:
All energy being low-carbon by 2050
Intensive innovation, policy changes, and commercialization to decarbonize industry
Incentive programs and guidelines within construction and engineering
Shifting infrastructure of cities to support low-carbon transport
Conservation of ecosystems like forests, limiting waste, and improving food systems
Allocating finical support to clean energy, fuel substitutes, and research on how to shift hard-to-decarbonize systems.
These transformations across the current systems in place, are not the only changes needed. IPCC finds that carbon removal practices will be absolutely necessary in order to reach the goals set. The World Resources Institute says,
“The IPCC found that all pathways that limit warming to 1.5 degrees C (with no or limited overshoot) depend on carbon removal. These approaches can include both natural solutions, such as sequestering and storing carbon in trees and soil, as well as technologies that pull CO2 directly out of the atmosphere.”
Minimizing individual impact:
The final takeaway to consider, is individual impact. IPCC finds that lifestyle behaviors can play a significant role in mitigating climate change. Especially if those in developed countries or of significant wealth shift their consumption patterns. A few things individuals can do to help, may include:
Spread the word! Educate others.
Adopt a plant based diet
Choose alternate forms of travel such as walking or cycling
Limiting waste
Shop local and sustainably
Avoiding long flights
Dress smart and avoid fast fashion
Implement energy efficiency in buildings and homes
Plant trees
Invest in planet-friendly institutions
Recycling programs
What comes next?
This report makes it quite clear that while holding global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius is an ambitious goal, it is possible with immediate action and some very large changes across the globe. The question remains, will we make the needed changes?
Sustaira is here to help! From goal setting, to taking action, to results you can share. Sustaira can help you wherever you may be within your sustainability journey. Sustaira offers an online solution which covers automated features within all of these domains. As a customer, you can pick and choose which components/modules you would like to activate. You can even add fully custom (templated) apps or existing Sustainability applications to the Sustaira launchpad to create a unique and single-view Sustainability platform for your organization. Not sure where to begin? Drop us a line and we will help you get stared.
Sources:
https://www.wri.org/insights/ipcc-report-2022-mitigation-climate-change?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2022-04-05&utm_medium=email&utm_content=title
https://climate.selectra.com/en/news/ipcc-report-2022
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/10-ways-you-can-help-fight-climate-crisis
https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_FullReport.pdf
https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf
