The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) press conference on the 4^th of April signalled the release of Working Group III’s final part of the Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.

The tone was set by the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres who, in a strong statement, called upon all governments and organisations to reconsider their position towards climate change, replacing populist green-washing with concrete mitigating actions. He then went to praise the report for offering viable solutions for sectors to limit warming to 1.5ºC set during the 2015 Paris Accords. He finally demanded to all sphere global society take part in this effort making good use of renewable energy.

The following interventions by Hoesung Lee (chair of the IPCC), Petteri Taalas (Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation) and Inger Andersen (Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme) were all punctuated with the same gravity. That said, Hoesung Lee emphasised the potential to mitigate the situation and viewed optimistically the COP27 in Egypt. And while Inger Andersen acknowledged the positive impact the post-COVID stimulus plans had had, she also pointed out their short-lived effects and results on ‘the green score card’.

Jim Skea (Co-Chair of Working Group III) proceeded to giving context to the findings:

-         Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are at the highest they have ever been

-         There is evidence of climate actions with noticeable efforts in energy and industry sectors

-         But more efforts are needed

Concretely, GHG emissions have to peak before 2025 and be reduced by 43% by 2030 to reach the 1.5ºC target and to reach 2ºC, GHG would have to peak at the same time and be reduced by 27% by 2030.

The presentation then exposed the key findings and mitigating solutions sector by sector. When addressing Energy, Demands and Services, Transport, Cities and Urban areas, Buildings Industry, CO₂ removal or Land use a few important points transpired.

Firstly, innovation must have a central role in mitigating climate change. Whether that is through the development carbon capture, alternative/bio fuels or the storage and use of electric energy, nearly all sectors can benefit from innovation.

Moreover, increased awareness from individuals but also Industry, Building and Land Use sectors can reduce GHG emissions. Multiple sectors can improve by being mindful in our consumption, use of materials as well as the methods employed.

From a financial stand point, the report is formal, financial flows are too low compared to the needed levels by 2030. With that in mind, the results show that there is sufficient global capital and liquidity to close this investment gap. The difficulty to close that gap will be felt more so in developing countries but with the correct policies, regulations and coordination between governments and societies systemic changes are achievable.

So often have we been disillusioned when it comes to reacting to the climate emergency; governments failing to fulfil their promises or simply not caring enough. This press conference and report present real options that could be applied globally in an effort to reduce emissions, while acknowledging the difficulty for developing countries to achieve this on their own.

Link to the IPCC’s April 4^th Press Conference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STFoSxqFQXU



Link to Working Group III’s report:

https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-3/

Link to the Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2022:

https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/