“The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years”. The latest IPCC report is a reminder of the absolute necessity of urgent action.
The sixth cycle of work by UN experts concluded on Monday 20 March with the publication of a report synthesising a series of more than 10,000 publications, written since late 2014. Over the past 8 years, three “special reports” - on global warming, the oceans and the ice world and soils - as well as an assessment report have been produced. Also, in advance of the synthesis, a “Summary for Policymakers” was approved on 19 March. This eminently political document outlines the situation and the solutions that can respond to the climate emergency.
The responsibility of human activities
The first finding of the synthesis of the Sixth Assessment Report is the “unequivocal” correlation between human activities and global warming. The latter is mainly caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The synthesis argues that we are now facing the highest concentration of carbon in the atmosphere for 2 million years.
Despite the Paris Agreement, which in 2015 committed the signatory states to limiting global warming to less than 2°C or even 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, the temperature increase is more likely to be around 3°C.
Environmental and human damage
Every time warming increases, extreme changes also increase. As a result, the IPCC points out that climate change is already causing some damage, some of it permanent.
These “tipping points” concern the atmosphere and biosphere as well as the oceans. Their level has risen by twenty centimetres between 1901 and 2018 and several hundred species have already disappeared.
The consequences of global warming are also felt in terms of people’s well-being. The panel estimates that between 3.3 and 3.6 billion people are in a “highly vulnerable” situation.
The after-effects will be both physical and mental and will last for a long time. And for good reason, global warming is having an impact on food and water supplies. Small island states are the most exposed to these changes. Moreover, it is the least responsible populations that are most affected by climate change.
Peter Liese (EPP, German) insisted on this point: “Climate protection is equivalent to health protection”. The MEP, coordinator of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, recommended “better promoting technologies that remove carbon from the atmosphere, for example direct carbon capture from the air”.
Solutions
The IPCC report calls for a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels, responsible for 79% of global carbon emissions. These alone are enough to exceed the 1.5°C global warming threshold.
For French MEP Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA), this is a “non-negotiable” point. “If we want to give ourselves a chance of preserving the climate, we must break free of this deadly addiction. The IPCC synthesis should mobilise the international community, especially the US and Europe”, she said.
The IPCC urges states to close down certain emitting infrastructure and encourages carbon capture and sequestration. This compensation will aim to eliminate so-called “residual” emissions, the objective being nevertheless negative emissions: emitting less carbon than what is stored.
Experts also warn that bad practices resulting from climate change, such as air conditioning, are making the situation worse. “Flexible, multi-sectoral, inclusive and long-term planning and implementation of adaptation measures” are thus recommended.
Towards greater international cooperation
Therefore, “prioritising equity, climate justice, social justice, inclusion and just transition processes” would allow for both emission limits and better human adaptation, especially in the most vulnerable areas. The IPCC thus advocates for real “climate governance” based in particular on the commitment of civil society.
Interviewed by EUROPE, Geneviève Pons, Director General and Vice-President of the think tank Europe Jacques Delors, expressed her sense of urgency and the “absolute necessity to accompany a large part of the world in this transformation”.
According to her, we are “heading for a catastrophe”. “But Europe is not lagging behind in this awareness”, she says. “It can’t be the only one. It must accompany its measures with financial and technological assistance for developing countries, which need help”.
According to the IPCC, in terms of financing, global capital appears to be sufficient to meet global investment gaps. However, “obstacles” to their allocation to climate action remain. The experts note that international cooperation needs to be strengthened, especially for the mobilisation of resources to developing countries and areas most at risk.
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the European Green Deal, was in Copenhagen for a ministerial meeting aimed at preparing the COP28 in December and taking stock of the IPCC synthesis report: “The IPCC clearly exposes the serious consequences that the climate crisis is already having and highlights once again the difficult choices we face”. “The European Union must continue to work, both at national and international level, to achieve the highest possible level of ambition”, he said.
See the Summary for Policymakers: https://aeur.eu/f/5wr (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)