By Avalon Kelly
On April 4, 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new climate report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, stressing the importance of immediate climate action. A virtual press conference was held to present the report by the IPCC. The report revealed devastating predictions for current climate efforts: if we are to achieve the agreed-upon goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, global greenhouse gas emissions must begin to decrease by 2025.
While recognizing increased efforts to combat climate change, the report warns that this is simply not enough. Secretary-General António Guterres informs: “We are on a fast track to climate disaster…We are on a pathway to global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree limit agreed upon in Paris.” To maintain the limit, greenhouse gas emissions must “peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by 43% by 2030” according to the report. However, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the same rate, they will have grown by 14% by 2030. This means that radical change is necessary to save our planet from disaster.
Luckily, many countries have developed unprecedented technologies and systems for energy efficiency. Hoesung Lee, Chairperson of the IPCC, states, “We have the tools…required to limit warming.” He explains that if policymakers and global leaders enforce these policies and systems on a global level, significant positive change will occur.
The future of climate change depends on our efforts today. Climate change must be addressed now, and it must be addressed strongly. James Skea, Co-Chair of the Working Group III of the IPCC and Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London, emphasizes, “It’s now or never…Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, it will be impossible.”