#ipcc report

View on Twitter

We’ve had 26 Conference of the Parties meetings, for heaven’s sake. More scientific reports, another set of charts.

“I mean, seriously, what difference is that going to make?”

Climate Scientists Strike!

✊🏼

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is taking a significant step forward in its seventh assessment cycle with a crucial meeting underway in Mombasa, Kenya. This event marks the second Lead Author Meeting dedicated to drafting the first order draft of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities—the IPCC’s inaugural special report within this assessment cycle. The report,…

Introduction to the IPCC’s Latest Climate Change Report The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a leading international body for assessing climate change, continues to provide crucial insights into our planet’s changing climate. Their reports are instrumental in shaping global policy and informing public understanding of the complex challenges posed by IPCC Climate Change. This…

As recently reported in the Washington Post, The Trump administration has blocked work that is central to major international climate change research, and barred federal scientists and diplomats from attending a key global climate event in China this week, according to three officials close to the situation who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because they were not…

When the 2015 Paris Agreement was signed at COP21, 195 nations agreed to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (setting out their climate targets) to the United Nations every five years. This was a starting point but it takes resolute MPs to push those pledges through to legislation and action.

The IPCC reports that between 2017 and 2019, around US$ 555 billion in Fossil fuel subsidies were handed out. Halting these subsidies could knock 10% off global emissions by 2030.

The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report is sobering reading- and should galvanize action around the world. Parliamentarians are on the frontline. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It gives regular updates on a sliding scale of scenarios for our global habitat, informed by the actions - or inaction - of the world’s governments.

The latest synthesis report, published in February 2023, warns that the window of opportunity to limit global warming to no more than 1.5⁰C is closing fast. Reaching a stage where human-caused emissions are at net zero by 2050 is still only the best-case scenario –yet most experts agree that this will be a minimum to have a chance of allowing the planet to stay below 2⁰C of global warming.

The IPCC is unequivocal: fossil fuels must be made extinct and never revived: existing or planned fossil fuel infrastructure would, by itself, use up our carbon budget for 1.5⁰C or even 2⁰C. So, to stay below 1.5⁰C of warming as called for by the Paris Agreement, we need to slash CO₂ emissions by 45% by 2030. 

Taking preventative action now is better than seeking solutions in the future. As the IPCC’s Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit puts it: Avoiding a tonne of CO₂ today will almost always be easier and cheaper than sucking out CO₂ from the atmosphere later this century.

We must prioritize cutting human-caused emissions, along with offsetting future emissions with carbon sequestration measures.

Where to start

Parliamentarians are key players when it comes to climate action. Legislation is a vital engine for driving national action on climate change. Support and leadership for MPs has never been more important. 

The IPU’s Parliaments for the Planet campaign is a good starting point. The concept of the campaign is simple. Climate action begins at home. Parliaments and parliamentarians can already take steps to reduce their own carbon footprints – as well as more transformative action through legislation, budgets and scrutiny of measures to implement the Paris Agreement.

To help them, the IPU has identified 10 Actions for Greener Parliaments, which parliamentarians can consider as they work to foster a culture of sustainable change.

Room for optimism

The IPCC’s 6th synthesis report is a warning. But it also offers hope, if action is taken.

It tells us that rapid decarbonization is not just right for the planet; it is cost-effective. The tools for shifting away from fossil fuels already exist and falling costs are making a sound business case for clean energy. 

Other good news: climate policies are strengthening. The dual power of government and business is beginning to steer us away from the bleakest future outcomes.

Here are 5 key takeaways from the IPCC report: