GHG Emissions  -  August 10, 2021

UN Confirms Human Impact on Climate Change, Steps to Take

Climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying, but strong and sustained reductions in emissions could limit how bad the crisis gets.

That’s according to the new report released Aug. 9 by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report found that many of the changes in the Earth’s climate across the entire world are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years.

The IPCC further solidified the fact that human activities were responsible for nearly 1.1°C of warming since 1850-1900 and that the global temperature is likely to exceed 1.5°C of weaning over the next 20 years. The global climate system was found to be affected, from changes to the water cycle and rain patterns and changes to coastal areas around the globe with continued sea-level rise as glaciers continue to melt. 

The study also found that even with extreme measures to limit further emissions, it could still take 20-30 years for global temperatures to stabilize. Limiting greenhouse gas emissions could have significant benefits for the future of the climate.

“The time for urgent action from every investor, business and government alike has never been more needed,” Mindy Lubber, Ceres CEO and president, said in a statement. “Given the findings of this report and the increasing scope and scale of the climate crisis, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach with collaboration between public and private sectors and within industries to protect our economic stability and limit the risk of catastrophe that already threatens communities across the nation and the globe. For governments, that means immediately putting climate action at the top of the priority list to make rapid progress toward the goals of the Paris Agreement. For investors and companies, it means doubling down on urgent efforts to reduce their own carbon footprints, while also going beyond that to push for robust climate policies at all levels of government.”

Governments from around the globe will meet in November in Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, offering a chance for the adoption of more aggressive measures to combat the climate crisis.

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