What The World Needs Right Now

WRI: 10 Big Findings from the 2023 IPCC Report on Climate Change

Sophie Boehm and Clea Schumer, March 20, 2023 (World Resources Institute)

“…[T]he AR6 details the devastating consequences of rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions around the world…But the IPCC also offers hope…[The report’s 10 key findings begin with] 1. Human-induced global warming of 1.1 degrees C has spurred changes to the Earth’s climate that are unprecedented in recent human history…[and] 2. Climate impacts on people and ecosystems are more widespread and severe than expected, and future risks will escalate…[But] 3. Adaptation measures can effectively build resilience, but more finance is needed…[W]ith sufficient support, proven and readily available adaptation solutions can build resilience…[and] simultaneously deliver broader sustainable development benefits…

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...4. Some climate impacts are already so severe they cannot be adapted to, leading to losses and damages…5. Global GHG emissions peak before 2025 in 1.5 degrees C-aligned pathways…6. The world must rapidly shift away from burning fossil fuels — the number one cause of the climate crisis…A mix of strategies can help avoid locking in these emissions, including retiring existing fossil fuel infrastructure, canceling new projects, retrofitting fossil-fueled power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and scaling up renewable energy sources like solar and wind (which are now cheaper than fossil fuels in many regions)…

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...7. We also need urgent, systemwide transformations to secure a net-zero, climate-resilient future…8. Carbon removal is now essential…9. Climate finance for both mitigation and adaptation must increase dramatically this decade…10. Climate change — as well as our collective efforts to adapt to and mitigate it — will exacerbate inequity should we fail to ensure a just transition…[but] the IPCC identifies a range of measures that can support a just transition…Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) is still possible…A narrow window of opportunity is still open, but there’s not one second to waste.” click here for more

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