The IPCC calls for immediate action in all sectors to ‘ensure a livable future’

If the fight against climate change were like a timer, now is the time. Without an immediate and drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors, it would certainly be impossible to control global warming to 1.5 ° C compared to the pre-industrial era. Keeping within the very ambitious scope of the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 means achieving a peak in emissions after 2025, before the collapse in all areas.

The changes that need to be made are significant and include a significant reduction in fossil fuels, an increase in renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification, lifestyle changes, a significant increase in funding and support for technological innovation. The key decisions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were released on Monday, April 4, with the third and final part of its sixth assessment report scheduled for September.

This opus completes the catastrophic trilogy that describes the state of scientific knowledge about climate change. The The first episode was released in August 2021, The acceleration of global warming is worsening everywhere, with the risks of tipping points than ever before. The Second, the end of February, Describes the increasingly devastating, widespread and now irreversible impacts of climate change on people and ecosystems, as well as the increasingly costly and difficult adaptation. The third report, written by 278 researchers from 65 countries based on an analysis of 18,000 scientific studies, outlines the range of solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is a highly political chapter.

Its “Summary for Policymakers”, an abridged version of the more than 3,000-page scientific report, was held for two weeks, with representatives of the 195 member states of the IPCC, in line with the authors, in line-by-line and word-for-word talks. With the last word, it was completed more than forty-eight hours late. A record since the creation of the United Nations in 1988.

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According to observers, the closures focus on the reduction of fossil fuels, the role of technologies, equity issues and especially finance. Developed countries, led by the United States, are reluctant to point out significant financial flows that developing countries need to reduce their emissions. Saudi Arabia, for its part, sought to reduce reports of the use of fossil fuels.

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