UN latest climate report warning again that decisive action is needed now

From: RFI
 
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report on April 4th after two
weeks of difficult negotiations. This is 48 hours later than the original deadline. While reiterating the
urgency of curbing climate change, the report says the most catastrophic consequences can still be
avoided if governments take immediate and decisive action. 


The report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Thursday is the third part of
its latest report on climate change which focuses on possible responses to the urgency of climate change.
The first part of the report, released last August, predicted that warming would reach 1.5° C above pre-
industrial levels as early as 2030 and it is the desired goal of the 2015 Paris climate agreement by the
end of the century.
 
The second part of the UN climate report, released in February, paints a picture of the serious and
imminent consequences of continued warming for people and the state of affairs on which they
depend.
 
A third report published on Thursday aims to suggest possible solutions. In particular, the report said it
would be impossible to meet the Paris climate agreement's goal of 1.5C warming by the end of the
century without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissionsby 2030. Even if to meet the second-
best goal 2.5 degrees by the end of the century, greenhouse gas emissions will have to peak by 2025,
namely three years from now. Butgiven current emissions trends, that target also seems out of reach.
But if nothing is done, warming will reach 3.2℃ by the end of the century, with every 0.1℃ rise bringing
a new climate catastrophe.


The report argues that fossil fuels must be replaced as quickly as possible by renewable and low-carbon
sources of energy, while simultaneously reducing energy demand, which means we must adjust our living
patterns.
 
The report says the energy transition will definitely require significant investment, but the human cost of
inaction will be much higher.
 
Although cities now account for 70% of global carbon emissions, the report argues that centralised, car-
free, and green cities are still the ideal model for tackling climate change, compared with the loose
residential structures of the countryside.