The Urgency of Climate Action: Insights from the IPCC AR6 Report

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has given us a stark warning – the future of life on this planet is at stake. We are on track to surpass 1.5°C of warming, a target agreed upon by world leaders as necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences for our planet. By developing new pipelines, degrading natural areas, and increasing the number of cars on the road and planes in the sky, we are accelerating the emissions that cause human-induced warming. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) makes even more explicit the connection between fractional increases in emissions and a higher frequency and intensity of heatwaves, storms, droughts, floods, wildfires, and other extreme events that threaten our communities and the ecosystems they depend on. Scientists have been warning us about these risks for over thirty years, but their message has reached a crescendo in the AR6 with even greater scientific robustness.

Fortunately, the AR6 has some good news for us

Most notably, it will take less time for the global atmosphere to heal and establish an equilibrium than previously thought. This means that once our global society achieves net-zero emissions, the atmosphere will calibrate within a couple of decades – a lag that was previously estimated to be closer to a century.

The goal of keeping warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels requires deep, rapid, and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. We are already experiencing climate changes; therefore, it is imperative for all sectors to account for and respond to climate vulnerabilities and risks in strategy, planning, operations, and management. For example, continuing to build high-emission infrastructure minimizes climate resilience and increases the risk of rising O&M costs, stranded assets, and losses and damages over time. By failing to act now, the cost of adaptation responses will continue to rise year over year - every $1 spent on adaptation today is likely to cost $15+ over the coming decades (Beugin and Swayer, 2022). As a result, delay on adaptation and mitigation is not a sound business model.

The other good news from the AR6 is that there is sufficient global capital to close the current investment gap in adaptation and mitigation opportunities. Innovative policy, technology, and financing arrangements are key to unlocking this capital and accelerating the widespread adoption of green technologies and practices.

So, what does this mean for local and regional leaders?

Taking action now means first gaining an understanding of, and then implementing strategies to address regional and local vulnerabilities and projected climate risks in ecosystems, infrastructure, and populations. Proactively anticipating and responding to projected climate changes prevents damages and increases public safety, saving money and building resilience over time. These strategies will also need to align with emissions reductions targets, cutting emissions from land-use, transportation, building stock, and waste by 50% by 2030. It is therefore important to integrate low carbon resilience criteria in planning and investment decisions. This means exploring how to minimize climate risk, reduce emissions, and advance biodiversity, equity, and other sustainability goals requires cross-departmental, cross-sectoral collaboration to explore synergies, prevent contradictions, and promote innovative governance arrangements aimed at building resilient, equitable, and sustainable communities.

The time to act is now

We have the tools and knowledge to adapt to and mitigate climate change, but we need political commitment, collaboration, and inclusive governance to ensure it happens in a way that multiplies benefits. By taking bold action today, we can transform our local realities to prepare for a net-zero, climate-resilient future. This is the hope and the work of the ACT team, as we co-create low carbon resilience and nature-based solutions in communities, governments, and organizations across Canada.

Highlights from the IPCC AR6:

• Human-induced global warming of 1.1 degrees Celsius has spurred changes to the Earth’s climate that are unprecedented in recent human history.

• 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.

• Adaptation measures can effectively build resilience, but more financing is needed to scale up these solutions.

• Some climate impacts are already so severe that adaptation is no longer possible, which is leading to losses and damages.

• Global GHG emissions must peak before 2025 in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

• The world must rapidly shift away from burning fossil fuels — the number one cause of the climate crisis.Urgent, system-wide transformations must occur in order to secure a net-zero, climate-resilient future.

• Carbon removal from the atmosphere is now essential to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

• Climate financing for both mitigation and adaptation must increase dramatically within the current decade.

• Climate change — as well as our collective efforts to adapt to and mitigate it — will exacerbate inequity should we fail to ensure a just transition.  

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References

Beugin, D. and Sawyer, D. (2022, October 28). The GDP costs of climate change for Canada. Canadian Climate Institute. https://climateinstitute.ca/the-gdp-costs-of-climate-change-for-canada/