The IPCC report warned that the world is on track to pass a critical temperature threshold believed to be essential to combat climate change by the early 2030s. Scientists have resounded the alarm for drastic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions that they say are necessary to prevent catastrophic droughts, heat waves and sea-level rise.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched its latest report on Monday. The ‘AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023’ summarises five years of reports on global temperature rises, fossil fuel emissions and climate impacts. “Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said and further added, “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”
The viability of humanity living within planetary boundaries rests on the actions we take in the next seven years. There’s no time to lose to keep to the target of limiting the global average temperature to below 1.5°C. The conclusion from the latest report, which sets out to summarise the scientific data on global temperature rises, fossil fuel emissions and the impact of the climate crisis, is that there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.
According to the AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023, despite progress in policies and legislation around climate mitigation since the previous such report in 2014, it’s “likely that warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century”. It highlights that there are gaps between projected emissions from implemented policies and those from nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and finance flows fall short of the levels needed to meet climate goals across all sectors and region
The report added the urgent steps require quickly slashing carbon pollution and fossil fuel use by nearly two-thirds by 2035 while the UN chief called for an immediate halt to new fossil fuel exploration. Inger Andersen, director of the UN Environment Programme, urged countries to “turn down the heat” by cutting greenhouse emissions, a decision she called “the ultimate no-brainer.” Guterres, citing the report, further added, “I have proposed to the G20 a Climate Solidarity Pact – in which all big emitters make extra efforts to cut emissions, and wealthier countries mobilise financial and technical resources to support emerging economies in a common effort to keep 1.5 degrees alive.”
This report is the summary of all reports of the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Cycle that were published between 2018 and 2023, which covered, including the landmark Global Warming of 1.5°C, the more recent reports demonstrating how anthropogenic greenhouse gases are causing unprecedented damage, and the report around how many parts of the planet will become unliveable in the next few decades.
