The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released part three of its sixth assessment report Monday morning. Bolstered by an immense and growing body of scientific research, the message was clear: If humans are to avoid climate catastrophe, we need to make big changes now. The consequences of inaction are growing by the year.
“The jury has reached a verdict and it is damning,” U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a press conference on Monday. “Major cities under water, unprecedented heat waves, terrifying storms, widespread water shortages, the extinction of a million species of plants and animals — this is not fiction or exaggeration. It is what science tells us will result from our current energy policies.”
Parts one and two of the sixth assessment report dealt with the physical science of climate change and impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, respectively. The latest addition is concerned with mitigation — how can humans reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations in the coming years.
