IPCC report 2021: ‘Cost of inaction keeps mounting’ says Biden amid ‘irreversible’ sea level rise warning
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An authoritative and sweeping new report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned the world is running out of time to make drastic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and avert devastating climate breakdown.
The report, authored by 234 scientists in 66 countries, found “it is more likely than not” that the world will reach 1.5C sometime over the next 20 years. And far greater global warming is possible if little is done to tackle rapidly rising emissions. Temperatures currently stand at around 1.2C above pre-industrial levels.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the report, published on Monday, a “code red for humanity”.
He warned: “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk. Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.”
The report is clear that some consequences of the climate crisis are already locked in. It is “virtually certain” that global sea levels will continue to rise this century.
Sea levels will “remain elevated for thousands of years” as a result of ocean warming and melting ice sheets, the report warns. However it is still within our power to make a monumental difference to sea levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Beyond 2050, sea level projections become increasingly sensitive to the emission choices we are making today,” said Dr Bob Kopp, a lead author of the chapter addressing sea level rise, and director of the Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Rutgers University.
‘Thousands will take to the streets'
The COP26 Coalition, a UK-based coalition of NGOs and other groups, called the publication of the report a “rallying cry” for climate activism.
Spokesperson Mim Black said: “This year’s COP26 is happening at a crucial moment in history. Across the world and across movements, we are seeing a new wave of resistance, global solidarity and grassroots organising.
“This year, we have a unique opportunity to rewire our system as we recover from the pandemic. We can either intensify the crisis to the point of no return, or lay the foundations for a just world where everyone’s needs are met.
“Today’s IPCC report makes clear that the powerful have tried to avoid the evidence and hide from warnings for decades - and we’re now paying for it.
“This November, the people will be out in force. We will challenge governments’ and corporations’ green rhetoric, empty promises and downright hypocrisy. Thousands will take to the streets in Glasgow and across the world to demand urgent and meaningful action is finally taken, which holds big polluters to account while looking after those least responsible for this crisis.”
Caroline Lucas: ‘We face extinction'
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas tweeted: “We’re in danger of going down in history as species that chose to monitor its own extinction rather than taking urgent steps to avert it.
“The #IPCC has produced climate reports for over 30 years - each sounding alarm bell more loudly. Time to act is now.”
The former party leader has written exclusively for the Independent about the crossroads humanity has reached, and what steps we must take to avoid a cataclysm.
Read more here.
Starmer: ‘PM lacks ambition required'
Keir Starmer says PM Boris Johnson lacks the aspiration needed to tackle the climate crisis.
The Labour leader said:“The IPCC report is the starkest reminder yet that the climate crisis is here right now and is the biggest long-term threat we face.“
It confirms that the extreme weather events of recent months are only going to become more frequent, and that we need urgent action both to drive down emissions in this decisive decade and to adapt to the changes to our climate that are already baked in.
“The biggest threat we now face is not climate denial but climate delay. Those who, like our Prime Minister, acknowledge there is a problem, but simply don’t have the scale of ambition required to match the moment.
“Our communities and planet can no longer afford the inaction of this government, who are failing to treat the crisis with the seriousness it deserves.
“A Labour government would deliver the action we need to drive down emissions, with progressive solutions for our citizens, and leadership on the international stage to ensure a global effort to tackle the climate and nature crisis and limit global heating to 1.5 degrees.”
Sharma: ‘We must act now'
Conservative climate chief and COP26 President Alok Sharma said:
“The science is clear, the impacts of the climate crisis can be seen around the world and if we don’t act now, we will continue to see the worst effects impact lives, livelihoods and natural habitats.
“Our message to every country, government, business and part of society is simple. The next decade is decisive, follow the science and embrace your responsibility to keep the goal of 1.5C alive.”
The #IPCC report shows that the lights are flashing red on the climate dashboard
— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) August 9, 2021
We must come together at #COP26 and agree ambitious emission reduction targets that lead us to net zero by 2050
@IPCC_CH | #ClimateAction
https://t.co/UxmuyIAnUH
PM says coal must go
Boris Johnson said today’s report is “sobering” reading and that the next decade is going to be “pivotal to securing the future of our planet.”
He added: “We know what must be done to limit global warming - consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline.”
The UK government, which has adopted a 2035 deadline for a 78% emissions cut, will publish its strategy on cutting UK emissions to zero by 2050 this autumn.
UN chief: 'Billions are at risk’
Responding to the report, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said it was a “code red for humanity”.
He warned: “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.
“Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.
“The internationally agreed threshold of 1.5C is perilously close.”
He urged countries to urgently step up efforts and set out national plans for cutting emissions this decade ahead of a crucial UN climate summit taking place in Glasgow in November.
He called for an end to coal-fired power plants and fossil fuel exploration, a shift to renewable energy and funding to protect vulnerable communities, and said Covid-19 recovery spending must be in line with climate goals.
This astonishing image was taken from one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites and shows the ongoing wildfire on the island of Evia in eastern Greece.
The blaze on Evia, the second-largest Greek island in both area and population after Crete, quickly spread on several fronts.
Thousands of acres of forest across the northern part of the island were ablaze, forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated since the fire broke out on Tuesday.
Climate action must be ‘policy priority'
Professor Jim Skea, from Imperial College London, co-chair of working group III of the IPCC, warned world leaders: “It’s only immediate, rapid and far-reaching action that’s going to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.
“This is not a business-as-usual possibility, the level of action that’s needed is truly unprecedented and I think climate action would need to take a much more central place within policy-making in general because it’s not specific climate policy, it’s planning, it’s industrial policy, other things would need to be actually influenced.”
Asked about the cost of transition to the public, Cop26 president Alok Sharma told a London panel discussion media Q&A: “The transition, of course, doesn’t happen overnight, the transition is gradual.
“On the specific issue of cost, I would contend that actually the cost of inaction on climate change is far greater than the cost of action.”
Have a question?
Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information in the IPCC report? The Independent’s Climate correspondents Louise Boyle and Daisy Dunne will be on hand to answer any questions you have live at 1pm, on Tuesday August 10.
All you have to do is register to submit your question in the comments here. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments box to leave your question.
Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they will be hidden until we join the conversation to answer them. Then join us live on the page at 1pm as we tackle as many questions as we can.
What will tackling the climate crisis cost you?
Households may face short-term financial pain before reaping the longer-term rewards from tackling climate change, Vicky Shaw reports.
She has analysed the impact changing our behaviour to limit the effects of global warming could have on our wallets, including more energy-efficient homes, switching to electrical vehicles, and household bills.
Read more here.
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