IPCC Report - it's now or never

The IPCC has released the third and final report on the mitigation of climate change.

After seven years of observing and evaluating the state of the planet, the climate change authority says it’s possible to reach a low carbon economy. It’s now or never to make it happen.

Currently, we’re on track to reach a 3.2C world by the end of the century, which would be catastrophic. The IPCC however suggests that if we take immediate action and make significant carbon emission reductions now we can avoid this.

Here are key findings from the IPCC working group 3 report:

• Coal must be effectively phased out if the world is to stay within 1.5C, and currently planned new fossil fuel infrastructure would cause the world to exceed 1.5C.
• Methane emissions must be reduced by a third.
• Growing forests and preserving soils will be necessary, but tree-planting cannot do enough to compensate for continued emissions of fossil fuels.
• Investment in the shift to a low-carbon world is about six times lower than it needs to be.
• All sectors of the global economy, from energy and transport to buildings and food, must change dramatically and rapidly, and new technologies, including hydrogen fuel and carbon capture and storage, will be needed.

Although the report might be daunting and damaging, it shows it is indeed possible to reach a low carbon economy. We do however need to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 collectively.

Let's keep the faith but make the changes now for a greener future.