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IPCC Synthesis Report: significant change required but future is in our control
On Monday 20. March, the IPCC released its final synthesis report (SYR) of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). An important topic for the report is the status of the 1.5°c target. Is it still feasible and what action must be taken to limit warming to 1.5°c?
The Synthesis Report (SYR) synthesises and integrates materials contained within the Assessment Reports and Special Reports. It is written in a “non-technical style suitable for policymakers and address a broad range of policy-relevant but policy-neutral questions” approved by the Panel. It is an interdisciplinary assessment of the state of climate change, the response, and consequences.
Previous synthesis reports have proved to be important benchmarks for policymaking and shaping the global response to climate change. Given what’s expected to come out of the newest SYR, for example, that if we don’t act now, we’ll go past 1.5C in early 2030s, and even get to 2C, this could be one of the most important catalysts for change we’ve seen yet.
The report, while warning that immediate, momentous action is required, made it very clear that whatever future we end up with is, for now, still in our control.
Aside from other interventions, rapidly scaling up the production of renewable energy is crucial.
Barbara Flesche, Executive Vice President for Statkraft Europe, says:
“Climate change is at the forefront of every decision we make at Statkraft. As a power producer that depends on the weather, we see first-hand what effect climate change is having. Global temperatures have already increased by around 1.1 degree and to deliver relevant predictions we must “climate-wash” our models to gain accurate forecasts for future prices. We're experiencing more extreme weather events than ever before and if we don’t act, the situation becomes progressively worse. However, it is possible to increase production of renewable energy and strengthen renewable supply chains to decrease costs. It's more feasible than ever to massively ramp up our global response.”
“Across the globe, we need to plan for increasingly extreme weather events. At Statkraft, looking at how we adapt to a changing climate is a key piece of ongoing work. We must prepare for climate change to strike in ways we cannot predict”.
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