Climate change has inconsequently proven to be the most critical issue in this 21st century as the fourth industrial revolution takes centre stage. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesis report offers insights into the dos and don’ts while combating climate change with effectiveness.
According to the United Nations Fossil fuel use has wreaked havoc causing a rise in global warming. This effect has seen temperatures greatly veering off past 1.1°C above industrial temperatures in 2011–2020.
The 10% of households with the highest emissions per person contribute 34–45% of all household emissions, while the bottom 50% contribute 13–15%.
The synthesis report on climate change provides improvements which are most viable. According to Joab Okanda, Pan Africa senior advocacy advisor at Christian Aid said that the continued burning of fossil fuel puts Africa on a dangerous path to more frequent and deadly droughts, heatwaves, floods, and storms as well as long-term economic damage.
We know the solutions to the climate crisis and scientists have been clear – the end of the fossil fuel era must start now.
Joab Okanda
By 2019, it was noted that atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than at any time in at least 2 million years, and concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide were higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years.
The report recommends that the climate actions put in place have to be most eligible in dealing with the situation at hand as per the GHG emissions in 2030, implying that nationally determined contributions (NDCs) make it likely that warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century, and make it harder to limit warming below 2°C.
IPCC called on the need for solving the ‘implementation gap’ between policies in place and NDCs – policies implemented by the end of 2020 are projected to result in higher global GHG emissions in 2030 than is implied by NDCs. If this isn’t rectified, we’re on track for global warming of 3.2°C by 2100.
Global warming if not managed earlier, considers the climate change risks which will become increasingly complex and more difficult to manage, and will interact with non-climate risks, causing compound and cascading risks.
“The warmer our planet gets, the more widespread and distinct the adverse impacts become. It underscores that without strong mitigation and adaptation actions, losses and damages will continue to disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations, most of whom are found in Africa and in Small island developing states. It highlights equity and social and climate justice considerations underscoring the need for international cooperation in dealing with the biggest challenge of our times. Every policymaker needs to read this report!” said Patricia Nying’uro Climate Scientist and IPCC Focal Point for Kenya.
Climate-driven food insecurity and supply instability, for example, are projected to increase with increasing global warming, interacting with non-climatic risk drivers such as competition for land between urban expansion and food production, pandemics, and conflict.
The IPCC Report further reads that, in a hotter world, it will be difficult to combat climate change, hence urgency in sorting human-caused global warming requires net zero CO2 emissions.
“For the sooner emissions are reduced in this decade, the greater our chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C,” it read in part.
The report, according to Dr. Nisha Krishnan, Director of Climate Africa, World Resources Institute (WRI) is eloquently laying out the devastating consequences of rising GHG emissions around the world, and particularly in Africa – the destruction of lives and livelihoods, severe water scarcity for at least one month (if not more,) per year.
“The fragmentation of communities, for example – and increasingly dangerous and irreversible risks already happening, and even more likely should we fail to change course. They were also clear: fossil fuels must go,” he said on the emissions issue.
Based on the IPCC synthesis report, to combat the climate change impacts, people have to come together and implement more actions than policies delving deeper into solving the crisis.
“Deep, rapid and sustained mitigation and accelerated implementation of adaptation actions in this decade would reduce future losses and damages from climate change for humans and ecosystems,” emphasized the report.
Furthermore, the report stressed the importance of using our land wisely as we protect nature for it will in turn safeguard us immensely. Ecosystem restoration, reforestation, and afforestation could lead to trade-offs due to competing demands on land. Effective adaptation options include cultivar improvements, agroforestry, community-based adaptation, farm and landscape diversification, and urban agriculture.
Additionally, the solutions will have to be covered financially, to accelerate plans this decade and in the near term only makes sense, but unless carefully planned it could be disruptive.
Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa, urged that it is a wake-up call for Africa and the world. “Especially since Africans are experiencing the worst impacts of climate breakdown, from floods, storms, and droughts, like the one that is currently killing people in East Africa. It is clear that without rapid action this suffering will increase. The good news is that we have affordable clean energy and the technology to decarbonize the world’s energy system. What we need now is to see this harnessed at greater speed and scale to usher in a secure and prosperous future for us all,” said Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa.
Not forgetting that the economic benefits for human health from better air quality from mitigation action can be of the same order of magnitude as mitigation costs, and potentially even larger.
Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the matter said that leaders face a choice, to take the science seriously and deliver the meaningful measures needed before 2030 or continue to delay condemning future generations to the terrible costs of inaction.
“The science is unequivocal. This final installment of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) underscores the severity of the climate crisis but also reminds us it is still possible to limit warming to 1.5°C with drastic, urgent action. The Elders urge governments to step up and do what is needed to ensure a liveable future for all – this means no new fossil fuels and committing to tougher targets to accelerate the fossil fuel phase out this year,” said Mary Robinson.
