The stark reality of IPCC Synthesis Report March 2023…
It makes pretty grim reading. Despite having the science and the solutions we need, we as a race, continue to do the opposite of what is needed…
The report effectively gives us only 10 years to totally transform the direction of the planetary crisis…
So I’m in 2 minds about what to write in this blog post today because I’m in 2 minds about how I’m feeling…
On the one hand I could continue to be positive and encouraging and gently nudge us all in the right direction to do the right thing, make the right changes, and take the right action towards halting the climate crisis and clearing up the mess we all continue to make on a daily basis…
But on the other hand, I could scream in desperation at everyone because we all need to wake up right now and realise we have a HUGE problem that affects us all, which we are all accountable for, and which we all need to take action on fixing right now…
But here’s the thing, no matter which approach is taken, there are still a lot us sitting on our sofas, knowing we need to do something, worrying about the impact of the climate crisis, but continuing to sit on our sofas hoping and thinking that someone else is going to sort things out for us…
A good quote from Robert Swan is, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it…”
As is this one from Roald Dahl, “Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world” which I still believe to be true.
The reality check we need is that the ‘someone else’ is actually ‘us’…
So, thinking out loud, this blog shouldn’t be a gentle nudge in the right direction, or a scream in desperation. It just needs to provide you, the reader, sitting on your sofa, with some of my takeways from the report, from which YOU need to use to get off your sofa and start taking action…
So, what is the IPCC Synthesis Report?
The IPCC Synthesis Report 2023 is the final installment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) in March 2023.
It is an eight-year long undertaking from the world’s most authoritative scientific body on climate change. It draws on the findings of 234 scientists on the physical science of climate change, 270 scientists on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change, and 278 scientists on climate change mitigation.
That is a lot of science!
In short, the IPCC Synthesis Report provides the most comprehensive, best available scientific assessment of climate change, and WE NEED TO TAKE NOTICE OF IT!
The report is large and includes the devastating consequences of climate change around the world, as well as the growing and irreversible risks if we fail, as a race, to take notice or action.
But it also offers hope and solutions to this mess we are in and identifies (often highly cost effective) actions that can be taken now to turn things around. The world just needs to listen, understand, and take action.
The window of opportunity we have to halt and reverse the damage of climate change is rapidly closing, but it is still open. The report reinforces the urgent need for action, and it is up to Countries, Governments, Organisations and Industries to work together.
Takeways from the report
So rather than a long dissection of the report, here are some of my takeways that you can use as incentives to get off your sofas and take action.
- Everyone should READ the REPORT – download the 85 page summary from the IPCC website.
- Final Warning – the report is our ‘final warning’ to keep human induced global warming of no more than 1.5 degree Celsius within reach – we need to take notice and action
- Human induced warming is at 1.1 degrees Celsius already – this has already led to changes in the Earth’s climate that are unprecedented in human history.
- The next 7 years are critical to prevent climate breakdown
- Stop burning fossil fuels – we cannot limit global warming to the crucial 1.5 degrees number without removing and changing our overdependence on fossil fuels.
- We need to keep the carbon in the ground and stop releasing it into the atmosphere.
- Climate impacts on people and ecosystems are more widespread and severe than expected, and future risks will escalate rapidly with every fraction of a degree of warming – some climate impacts are already so severe they cannot be adapted to.
- Urgent, systemwide transformations are necessary to secure a net-zero, climate-resilient future.
- Carbon removal is now essential to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- Climate finance must increase dramatically in this decade.
- And lastly, but probably most importantly, climate change mitigation and action should be number 1 on EVERY SINGLE LIST
If you’re based in the UK, then an easy, safe, fun, non arrestable way to get off the sofa, take some action, and make your voice heard is by joining the tens of thousands of people at The Big One 21-24 April, it is a peaceful coalition of groups including Greenpeace UK, Friends of the Earth and many more…
If you are a business then you need to invest the time and energy now to really think about and understand the environmental impact and carbon footprint of your business and what you can start doing now to reduce it.
If you need help to take action then get in touch, we help businesses and individuals reduce and improve their environmental impact.
And for more green, sustainable tips and articles take a look at our other blog posts, or pop over to Instagram and LinkedIn and check out @achievinggreenness where we provide you with the motivation, evidence, and tools you may need to become greener.
