On Monday, April 4, 2022, the Third Assessment Report from the IPCC provided the world an update on climate mitigation progress and pledges, examining the sources of global emissions. The bad news is that in spite of all the rhetoric, emissions continue to rise, albeit at a slower rate than in the past. In 2021 carbon emissions increased by 2.66 parts per million and methane increased by 17 parts per billion.
We are still moving in the wrong direction. The IPCC says we need a 43% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, and that we need to be on a downward path by 2025. This is what Extinction Rebellion has said since its founding—our second demand has always been a demand for net zero carbon emissions by 2025.
This report also underscores the point that while the window for action is closing quickly, we still have time to prevent the worst impacts of what humans have done to warm the atmosphere, and change the entire global climate. We have to take action now, and quickly build a global movement that forces the necessary transformation.
Reflecting on the new report, UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres said, “Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals, but the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels.”
To view Guterres’ moving statement, please click here.
In a world that is still being ruled by greed and exploitation, we have each other. Every day there are more people who understand the consequences we face. Now is the time to talk to your friends and bring them along. The worldwide movement continues to grow (see video of the ongoing April Rebellion in London, England for inspiration) but many, many more of us are needed. The next handful of years are critical. Rebel for Life!
Note: Some scientists are calling for yearly updates to the IPCC Reports – please click on this link for more information: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2022/04/12/leading-scientists-pitch-for-annual-ipcc-reports-to-keep-climate-on-the-agenda
Excerpt:
Science has a vital role to play to provide “evidence-based advice” and inform decisionmakers, Corinne Le Quéré, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia and a former IPCC author told a climate conference at the Royal Society in London, UK, on Monday. …
“The IPCC comes and goes away for six, seven years and then comes back… that’s not helpful,” said Le Quéré. With the scientific literature “exploding”, she said, the IPCC has a role to play to “fill that knowledge gap to 2028″.
