The IPCC makes it clear: fossil fuels must go
Welcome back to HEATED. Today we’re diving into the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading scientific authority on climate change. These days are never all that pleasant—but they are necessary, as these reports help to arm citizens with the information they need to demand change. We’re only able to do this because of our paid subscriber community, which funds 100 percent of our journalism. If you appreciate this service, we hope you’ll consider joining. We can’t do our part without readers like you. The IPCC makes it clear: fossil fuels must goAverting dangerous warming requires “a substantial reduction in overall fossil fuel use," the world's leading climate scientists said Monday.Yesterday was IPCC report day—and if you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know those aren’t always our favorite. Two years ago, in an article called “I don’t like IPCC report day,” Emily noted that the U.N. body’s bombshell climate change reports, while valuable in many ways, often ignore the actual reason for the planet’s sorry state: fossil fuels. In 2021, you couldn’t find the words “fossil fuels” anywhere in the IPCC’s summary for policymakers on the causes of climate change. (Most people read the “summary report,” not the actual report, which is generally over a thousand pages). Neither could you find fossil fuels in the second report’s summary for policymakers. But last year, things started to change. In April 2022, the IPCC cited “fossil fuels” 44 times in their 50-page summary report. And on Monday, the world’s top authority on climate science continued the trend, using the phrase “fossil fuels” 16 times to call out the actual cause of the crisis. In the 37-page summary of its latest report, the IPCC said the world’s current use of fossil fuels will push the planet to dangerous levels of warming by the early 2030s. This dangerous warming, if left unchecked, will disproportionately harm the people who contributed least to the problem, it added. But the IPCC said there’s still time to correct this. And there’s only one way to do it: “A substantial reduction in overall fossil fuel use.” the world's top scientists have written a landmark report about climate change and 195 countries just signed off on a summary that lays out surprisingly clearly what must happen to fossil fuels to keep us safe 1/ Here’s some of the new report’s most important takeaways about fossil fuels, which reporters and activists should start citing ‘til the cows come home:
In short, the IPCC–which always errs on the conservative side–said with high confidence that we’re going to be trapped in an unlivable world unless we break society’s addiction to fossil fuels. And yet society’s addiction appears to be going strong. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden approved the Willow oil drilling project, the largest-ever proposed oil drilling project on public lands. And earlier this month, the world’s top oil and gas CEOs met in Houston, where they announced plans to increase investment in fossil fuels. These types of investments are unacceptable, said United Nations Secretary General António Guterres–who was, as usual, even more blunt than the IPCC. On Monday, he called on the leaders of developed countries in the G20 to cut their emissions to zero by 2040, a full decade earlier than originally planned–and told them to do it by sharply reducing their use of fossil fuels. The climate time-bomb is ticking but the latest @IPCC_CH report shows that we have the knowledge & resources to tackle the climate crisis.
We need to #ActNow to ensure a livable planet in the future. Here’s a portion of the things he’s calling for:
The IPCC confirms these solutions are possible, both financially and technically. “Feasible, effective, and low-cost options for mitigation and adaptation are already available,” the authors said in the report. What’s needed, however, is political will from the powerful entities that profit off fossil fuels–corporations, banks, and governments. These are the primary barriers to changing our planet’s fate along with a lack of public engagement and a low sense of urgency. Fortunately, Guterres said, all those things are changeable with enough mobilization and advocacy. And now, with the IPCC’s latest report, the definition of real “climate action” has never been more clear. Catch of the Day: Did you really think we would make you read about a super distressing report without also giving you a picture of HEATED’s chief emotional support dog? No matter how hot the world is, Fish will always be cool. You're currently a free subscriber to HEATED. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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