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"Are at a crossroads" - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for more speed

2022-04-04T15:44:59.183Z


"Are at a crossroads" - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for more speed Created: 04/04/2022, 17:32 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides a comprehensive overview of how man-made climate change can be limited. © Federico Gambarini/dpa In the fight against the impending climate catastrophe, the world wants to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees. This requires enormo


"Are at a crossroads" - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for more speed

Created: 04/04/2022, 17:32

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides a comprehensive overview of how man-made climate change can be limited.

© Federico Gambarini/dpa

In the fight against the impending climate catastrophe, the world wants to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees.

This requires enormous speed in all areas of life, as a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows.

Geneva/London - According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming can only be limited to a maximum of 1.5 degrees if greenhouse gas emissions are immediately and drastically reduced.

This is according to a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday.

“We are at a crossroads.

The decisions we make now can ensure a future worth living,” said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee.

"We have the tools and the knowledge to limit warming."

Last year, the United Nations confirmed their goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times in order to avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change.

According to Lee, climate protection measures, regulations and market mechanisms are now known to be effective.

"If these are scaled appropriately and applied more widely, they can support far-reaching emissions savings and boost innovation." For example, the cost of solar and wind energy has fallen by up to 85 percent since 2010, which has boosted the expansion of renewable energies.

Use alternative fuels

The reversal in the energy sector is seen as crucial.

According to the researchers, this includes using significantly fewer fossil fuels and using alternative fuels such as hydrogen.

There are particularly good opportunities for this in cities - for example by redesigning their centers in such a way that routes can be covered comfortably and safely on foot or by bike, or by electrifying local public transport.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also examined the impact of eating less meat or moving around in a more climate-friendly manner - and came to the conclusion that lifestyle and personal behavior definitely play an important role in climate change.

However, the authors emphasize that the right framework conditions are required from politicians.

Responsibility should not be shifted to individuals.

However, with guidelines, new technologies and the right infrastructure, greenhouse gas emissions in this area could be reduced by 40 to 70 percent by 2050, they say - "a significant untapped potential".

CO2 emissions higher than ever before

On average, global emissions of greenhouse gases between 2010 and 2019 were higher than ever before in human history.

However, the growth rate has slowed.

According to the scientists' modelling, the greenhouse gas emissions for the 1.5 degree target must have peaked before 2025 and be reduced by 43 percent by 2030.

The emission of the greenhouse gas methane - for example from agriculture - must be reduced by around a third by then.

Scientists think it is increasingly likely that global warming could temporarily exceed the critical 1.5 degree threshold before action could bring it back below it.

The removal of CO2 from the atmosphere will also play a role, which was examined in detail by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the first time.

"Germany has already said yes to this and so has the EU," German IPCC co-author Oliver Geden said in a briefing to journalists.

Even if climate neutrality is achieved, there will still be residual emissions in a few decades.

"They should be as low as possible, and they have to be compensated for." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change supports the development and research of such techniques, but warns against relying on them.

No technology of this kind can make up for the lack of necessary savings in other areas.

Expert: It takes determined politics

“If global CO2 emissions do not fall significantly by 2030, then we will probably break the 1.5 degree mark for global warming.

The new numbers show that in a blatant way," said the physicist Elmar Kriegler from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), who also worked on the report, the German Press Agency.

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Kriegler criticized that no breakthrough had yet been achieved in reducing global emissions.

"This now requires resolute and internationally coordinated politics, collective action and a lot of investment." In the case of fossil power plants, especially coal, "early shutdowns and the cancellation of planned projects" are necessary.

Hundreds of scientists from 65 countries have evaluated tens of thousands of studies for the climate report over the past few years.

It is part of the 6th status report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose publications are considered the most comprehensive and internationally recognized status of climate research.

The sub-report deals with measures to mitigate climate change.

dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-04-04

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