22 March 2023 – A new comprehensive report on climate change by the United Nations (UN) has confirmed that human activities are responsible for global warming.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has conducted a comprehensive review of all the information about climate change we currently have. And the results, which have been published in a report, are bleak.
Among other things, the report has confirmed that human activity is responsible for global warming. The data shows that the global surface temperature of the planet has reached 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels in 2011-2020.
The main contributor is the emission of greenhouse gases, which have continued to increase through activities such as unsustainable energy use, land use and our lifestyles.
The Situation Is Bleak
The report warns that the world is not acting fast enough or on a big enough scale to tackle climate change, which results in global warming continuing at a racing pace.
We are already seeing adverse impacts from climate change all over the world and the IPCC says that these will get worse.
Floods, droughts, wildfires, extreme weather and the loss of biodiversity will all get worse the warmer our planet gets. Already extreme heat is responsible for the death of people in every corner of the world.
Poor and vulnerable communities have been disappropriately affected, even though they contribute least to global warming. The report estimates that at least 3.3 billion people are at a high risk of adverse effects, such as water stress and acute food insecurity.
Pandemics and conflicts are also made worse by climate risks, which we have seen during the COVID pandemic.
Global sea levels have on average risen by 20cm, and are likely to rise further if climate change is not halted.
Urgent Action On Global Warming Is Needed Now
While the report paints a very bleak picture, it also gives hope. But there is only hope if we act now. The Chief of the Untied Nations has called on developed countries like the UK, who are the biggest polluters, to bring forward their net zero targets to 2040.
Currently, the net zero target of the UK Government is for 2050. And it’s not on track to even meet this target, according to reports last week. So it will need drastic measures to bring forward the target and meet it.
The report warns that it is likely that the world will reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the 2030s, because the world has not acted to avoid this. However, the IPCC also points out that it is still possible to keep below this limit.
But we don’t have much time left. And we already have the solutions, they just need to be implemented. One of these solutions is to immediately stop burning fossil fuels.
The message in terms of urgency, I think, is stop burning fossil fuels as fast as humanly possible. It is not because we are lacking some important piece of technology or some important knowledge. It is because so far, the sense of urgency has been lacking in the places where the important decisions are made.
Dr Friderike Otto, Co-Author of the IPCC Report
Renewable energy, such as wind and solar, is now also cheaper than continuing with fossil fuel, the report highlights.
While the report wants to create an urgency for governments all over the world to act now, it also shows that everyone can do something to help fight climate change.
We could cut 40 to 70% of projected 2050 emissions with end-use measures. This includes shifting to plant-based diets, avoiding flights, building more walkable and bikeable cities.
Kaisa Kosonen, Greenpeace
Fossil Fuels Are Big Sticking Point
Scientists have said for years that the world needs to stop using fossil fuels, but it’s as much a political question than it is a scientific one, probably even more so.
This has already been seen at last year’s COP27. The proposal for the UN to agree to phase out oil, gas and coal was met with fierce opposition.
And even the UK has recently approved the construction of a new coal mine in Cumbria, which is currently fought in the courts.
But with the EU openly supporting the move to phase out gas, coal and oil, this argument will not disappear.
But no doubt, the use of fossil fuels will again cause arguments among countries in this year’s COP28, which will be held in Dubai.
The last IPCC report, which was released in 2014, was responsible for the Paris Climate Agreement, which has been signed by 196 parties. Since February this year 195 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have signed up to the agreement.
It can only be hoped that this new IPCC report will achieve a similarly important agreement. The report will be the base of discussions at COP28 later this year.
