The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) was published by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 8 October 2018.
The report, approved in
Incheon,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, includes over 6,000 scientific references, and was prepared by 91 authors from 40 countries.
In December 2015, the
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference called for the report.
The report was delivered at the United Nations' 48th session of the IPCC to "deliver the authoritative, scientific guide for governments" to deal with
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
.
Its key finding is that meeting a target is possible but would require "deep emissions reductions"
and "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society."
Furthermore, the report finds that "limiting global warming to 1.5 °C compared with 2 °C would reduce challenging impacts on
ecosystems
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...
, human health and well-being" and that a 2 °C temperature increase would exacerbate
extreme weather
Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a loca ...
, rising sea levels and
diminishing Arctic sea ice,
coral bleaching
Coral bleaching is the process when corals become white due to various stressors, such as changes in temperature, light, or nutrients. Bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel the zooxanthellae ( dinoflagellates that are commonly referred to as a ...
, and loss of ecosystems, among other impacts.
SR15 also has modelling that shows that, for global warming to be limited to 1.5 °C, "Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide () would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching 'net zero' around 2050."
The reduction of emissions by 2030 and its associated changes and challenges, including rapid
decarbonisation
Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels bur ...
, was a key focus on much of the reporting which was repeated through the world.
When the
Paris Agreement was adopted, the
UNFCC
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in th ...
C invited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to write a special report on "How can humanity prevent the global temperature rise more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial level".
Its full title is "Global Warming of 1.5 °C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty".
The finished report summarizes the findings of scientists, showing that maintaining a temperature rise to below 1.5 °C remains possible, but only through "rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure..., and industrial systems".
Meeting the Paris target of is possible but would require "deep emissions reductions", "rapid",
"far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society".
In order to achieve the 1.5 °C target, emissions must decline by 45% (relative to 2010 levels) by 2030, reaching
net zero
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the " ...
by around 2050. Deep reductions in non- emissions (such as nitrous oxide and methane) will also be required to limit warming to 1.5 °C. Under the pledges of the countries entering the Paris Accord, a sharp rise of 3.1 to 3.7 °C is still expected to occur by 2100. Holding this rise to 1.5 °C avoids the worst effects of a rise by even 2 °C. However, a warming of even 1.5 degrees will still result in large-scale drought, famine, heat stress, species die-off, loss of entire ecosystems, and loss of habitable land, throwing more than 100 million into poverty. Effects will be most drastic in arid regions including the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and the
Sahel in Africa, where fresh water will remain in some areas following a 1.5 °C rise in temperatures but are expected to dry up completely if the rise reaches 2 °C.
Main statements
Global warming will likely rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 if warming continues to increase at the current rate.
SR15 provides a summary of, on one hand, existing research on the impact that a warming of 1.5°C (equivalent to 2.7°F) would have on the planet, and on the other hand, the necessary steps to limit global warming.
Even assuming full implementation of conditional and unconditional
Nationally Determined Contributions submitted by nations
in the
Paris Agreement, net emissions would increase compared to 2010, leading to a warming of about 3°C by 2100, and more afterwards.
In contrast, limiting warming below or close to 1.5°C would require to decrease net emissions by around 45% by 2030 and reach ''net zero'' by 2050 (i.e. keeping total cumulative emissions within a carbon budget).
Even just for limiting global warming to below 2°C, emissions should decline by 25% by 2030 and by 100% by 2075.
Pathways (i.e. scenarios and portfolios of mitigation options) that would allow such reduction by 2050 describe a rapid transition towards producing electricity through lower-emission methods, and increasing use of electricity instead of other fuels in sectors such as transportation. On average, the pathways describing the proportion of primary energy produced by renewables as increasing to 60%, while the proportion produced by coal drops to 5% and oil to 13%. Most pathways describe a larger role for nuclear energy and
carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it (carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia. Usually th ...
, and less usage of natural gas. They also assume that other measures are simultaneously undertaken: e.g. non- emissions (such as methane, black carbon, nitrous oxide) are to be similarly reduced, energy demand is unchanged, reduced by even 30% or offsetted by an unprecedented scale of
carbon dioxide removal
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR), also known as negative emissions, is a process in which carbon dioxide gas () is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered for long periods of time. Similarly, greenhouse gas removal (GGR) or negative greenho ...
methods yet to be developed, while new policies and research allows to improve efficiency in agriculture and industry.
Impact of 1.5°C or 2°C warming
According to the report, with global warming of 1.5°C there would be increased risks to "health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth."
Impact vectors include reduction in crop yields and nutritional quality.
Livestock are also affected with rising temperatures through "changes in feed quality, spread of diseases, and water resource availability."
"Risks from some vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, are projected to increase."
"Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, compared with 2°C, could reduce the number of people both exposed to climate-related risks and susceptible to poverty by up to several hundred million by 2050."
Climate-related risks associated with increasing global warming depend on geographic location, "levels of development and vulnerability", and the speed and reach of
climate mitigation and
climate adaptation
Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to current or expected effects of climate change.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary öller, V., R. van Diemen, J.B.R. Matthews, C. Méndez, S. Semenov, J.S. Fuglestvedt, A. Reisinger (eds.) InClimat ...
practices.
For example, "
urban heat islands
An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent ...
amplify the impacts of heatwaves in cities."
In general, "countries in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere subtropics are projected to experience the largest impacts on economic growth."
Weather, sea level and ice
Many regions and seasons experience warming greater than the global annual average, e.g. "2–3 times higher in the Arctic. Warming is generally higher over
land than over the ocean," and it correlates with temperature extremes (which are projected to warm up to twice more on land than the global
mean surface temperature) as well as precipitation extremes (both heavy rain and droughts).
The assessed levels of risk generally increased compared to the
previous IPCC report.
The "
global mean sea level is projected rise (relative to 1986–2005) by 0.26 to 0.77m by 2100 for 1.5°C global warming" and about 0.1m more for 2°C. A difference of 0.1m may correspond to 10 million more or fewer people exposed to related risks.
"Sea level rise will continue beyond 2100 even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C.
Around 1.5°C to 2°C of global warming," irreversible instabilities could be triggered in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
and "
Greenland ice sheet, resulting in multi-metre rise in sea level."
"An ice-free Arctic summer is projected once per century" (per decade) for 1.5°C (respectively 2°C).
"Limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C is projected to prevent the thawing over centuries of a permafrost area in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 million km
2."
Ecosystems
"A decrease in global annual catch for marine fisheries of about 1.5 or 3 million tonnes for 1.5°C or 2°C of global warming" is projected by one global fishery model cited in the report.
Coral reefs are projected to decline by a further 70–90% at 1.5°C, and even more than 99% at 2°C.
"Of 105,000 species studied, 18% of insects, 16% of plants and 8% of vertebrates fare projected to lose over half of their climatically determined geographic range for global warming of 2°C."
Approximately "4% or 13% of the global terrestrial land area is projected to undergo a transformation of ecosystems from one type to another" at 1°C or 2°C, respectively. "High-latitude tundra and boreal forests are particularly at risk of climate change-induced
degradation and loss, with woody shrubs already encroaching into the tundra and
will proceed with further warming."
Limiting the temperature increase
Human activities (anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
) have already contributed of warming.
Nevertheless, the gases which have been emitted so far are unlikely to cause global temperature to rise to 1.5°C alone, meaning a global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is avoidable, assuming net zero emissions are reached soon.
Carbon budget
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires staying within a total carbon budget, i.e. limiting total cumulative emissions of CO
2.
In other words, if net anthropogenic CO
2 emissions are kept above zero, a global warming of 1.5°C and more will eventually be reached.
The value of the ''total'' net anthropogenic CO
2 budget since the pre-industrial era is not assessed in the report. Estimates of 400–800 GtCO
2 (gigatonnes of CO
2) for the ''remaining'' budget are given (580 GtCO
2 and 420 GtCO
2 for a 50% and 66% probability of limiting warming to 1.5°C, using global mean surface air temperature (GSAT);
or 770 and 570 GtCO
2, for 50% and 66% probabilities, using global mean surface temperature (GMST)).
This is about 300 GtCO
2 more compared to
a previous IPCC report, due to updated understanding and further advances in methods.
Emissions around the time of the report were depleting this budget at 42±3 GtCO
2 per year.
Anthropogenic emissions from the pre-industrial period to the end of 2017 are estimated to have reduced the budget for 1.5°C by approximately 2200±320 GtCO
2.
The estimates for the budget come with significant uncertainties, associated with: climate response to CO
2 and non-CO
2 emissions (these contribute about ±400 GtCO
2 in uncertainty),
the level of historic warming (±250 GtCO
2), potential additional carbon release from future permafrost thawing and methane release from wetlands (reducing the budget by up to 100 GtCO
2 over the century), and the level of future non-CO
2 mitigation (±400 GtCO
2).
Necessary emission reductions
Current nationally stated mitigation ambitions, as submitted under the
Paris Agreement, would lead to global greenhouse gas
emissions of 52–58 Gt
CO2eq per year, by 2030.
"Pathways reflecting these ambitions would not limit global warming to 1.5°C, even if supplemented by very challenging
increases in the scale and ambition of emissions reductions after 2030."
Instead, they are "broadly consistent" with a warming of about 3°C by 2100, and more afterwards.
Limit global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot would require reducing emissions to below 35 GtCO
2eq per year in 2030, regardless of the modelling pathway chosen. Most fall within 25–30 GtCO
2eq per year, a 40–50% reduction from 2010 levels.
The report says that for limiting warming to below 1.5C "global net human-caused emissions of CO
2 would need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ''net zero'' around 2050." Even just for limiting global warming to below 2°C, CO
2 emissions should decline by 25% by 2030 and by 100% by 2070.
Non-CO
2 emissions should decline in more or less similar ways.
This involves deep reductions in emissions of methane and black carbon: at least 35% of both by 2050, relative to 2010, to limit warming near 1.5°C.
Such measures could be undertaken in the energy sector and by reducing nitrous oxide and methane from agriculture, methane from the waste sector, and some other sources of black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons.
On timescales longer than tens of years, it may still be necessary to sustain net negative CO
2 emissions and/or further reduce ''non-CO
2 radiative forcing'' (*), in order to prevent further warming (due to Earth system feedbacks), reverse ocean acidification, and minimise sea level rise.
(*) ''Non-CO
2 emissions included in this Report are all anthropogenic emissions other than CO
2 that result in radiative forcing. These include short-lived climate forcers, such as methane, some fluorinated gases, ozone precursors, aerosols or aerosol precursors, such as black carbon and sulphur dioxide, respectively, as well as long-lived greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide or some fluorinated gases. The radiative forcing associated with non-CO
2 emissions and changes in surface albedo is referred to as'' non-CO
2 radiative forcing''.''
Pathways to 1.5°C
Various ''pathways'' are considered, describing scenarios for mitigation of global warming, including portfolios for energy supply and
negative emission technologies
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR), also known as negative emissions, is a process in which carbon dioxide gas () is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered for long periods of time. Similarly, greenhouse gas removal (GGR) or negative greenho ...
(like
afforestation or
carbon dioxide removal
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR), also known as negative emissions, is a process in which carbon dioxide gas () is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered for long periods of time. Similarly, greenhouse gas removal (GGR) or negative greenho ...
).
Examples of actions consistent with the 1.5°C pathway include "shifting to low- or zero-emission power generation, such as renewables; changing food systems, such as diet changes away from land-intensive animal products; electrifying transport and developing '
green infrastructure
Green infrastructure or blue-green infrastructure refers to a network that provides the “ingredients” for solving urban and climatic challenges by building with nature.Hiltrud Pötz & Pierre Bleuze (2011). Urban green-blue grids for sustainab ...
', such as building green roofs, or improving energy efficiency by smart urban planning, which will change the layout of many cities."
As another example, an increase of
forestation
Forestation is either growing existing forests ( proforestation) or establishing forest growth on areas that either had forest or lacked it naturally. In the first case, the process is called reforestation, or reafforestation while the second is c ...
by by 2050 relative to 2010 would be required.
The pathways also assume an increase in annual investments in low-carbon energy technologies and energy efficiency by roughly a factor of four to ten by 2050 compared to 2015.
Carbon dioxide removal
The emission pathways that reach 1.5°C contained in the report assume the use of
carbon dioxide removal
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR), also known as negative emissions, is a process in which carbon dioxide gas () is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered for long periods of time. Similarly, greenhouse gas removal (GGR) or negative greenho ...
(CDR) to offset for remaining
emissions. Pathways that overshoot the goal rely on CDR to remove carbon dioxide at a rate that exceeds remaining emissions in order to return to 1.5°C.
However, understanding is still limited about the effectiveness of net negative emissions to reduce temperatures after an overshoot.
Reversing an overshoot of 0.2 °C might not be achievable given considerable implementation challenges. The report highlights a CDR technology called
bioenergy with carbon capture and storage
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is the process of extracting bioenergy from biomass and capturing and storing the carbon, thereby removing it from the atmosphere. The carbon in the biomass comes from the greenhouse gas carbo ...
(BECCS). The report notes that apart from
afforestation/reforestation and ecosystem restoration, "the feasibility of massive-scale deployment of many CDR technologies remains an open question", with areas of uncertainty regarding technology upscaling, governance, ethical issues, policy and carbon cycle.
The report notes that CDR technology is in its infancy and the feasibility is an open question. Estimates from recent literature are cited, giving a potential of up to 5 GtCO2 per year for BECCS and up to 3.6 GtCO2 per year for afforestation.
= Solar radiation management
=
The report describes several proposals for
solar radiation management (SRM).
It concludes that SRMs have potential to limit warming, but "face large uncertainties and knowledge gaps as well as substantial risks,
..and constraints"; "the impacts of SRM (both biophysical and societal), costs, technical feasibility, governance and ethical issues associated need to be carefully considered." An analysis of the geoengineering proposals published in
Nature Communication confirmed findings of the SR15, stating that "all are in early stages of development, involve substantial uncertainties and risks, and raise ethical and governance dilemmas. Based on present knowledge, climate geoengineering techniques cannot be relied on to significantly contribute to meeting the Paris Agreement temperature goals".
Process
There are three IPCC working groups: Working Group I (WG I), co-chaired by
Valerie Masson-Delmotte and
Panmao Zhai, covers the physical science of climate change. Working Group II (WG II), co-chaired by
Hans-Otto Pörtner and
Debra Roberts, examines "impacts, adaptation and vulnerability". The "mitigation of climate change" is dealt with by Working Group III (WG III), co-chaired by
Priyardarshi Shukla and
Jim Skea.
The "Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories" "develops methodologies for measuring emissions and removals". There are also Technical Support Units that guide "the production of IPCC assessment reports and other products".
Contributors
Researchers from 40 countries, representing 91 authors and editors contributed to the report, which includes over 6,000 scientific references.
Reactions
Researchers
In his 1 October 2018 opening statement at the 48th Session held in
Incheon,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
,
Hoesung Lee
Hoesung Lee (born December 31, 1945) is a South Korean economist and current chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He is professor in the economics of climate change, energy and sustainable development in thGraduate School of ...
, who has been Chair of the IPCC since 6 October 2015,
described this IPCC meeting as "one of the most important" in its history.
Debra Roberts, IPCC contributor called it the "largest clarion bell from the science community". Roberts hopes "it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency."
In a CBC interview,
Paul Romer was asked if the Nobel Prize in economic sciences that he and
William Nordhaus
William Dawbney Nordhaus (born May 31, 1941) is an American economist, a Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, best known for his work in economic modeling and climate change, and one of the 2 recipients of the 2018 Nobel Memoria ...
received shortly before the SR15 was released, was timed as a message. Romer said that he was optimistic that measures will be taken in time to avert climate catastrophe. Romer compared the angst and lack of political will in imposing a carbon tax to the initial angst surrounding the
chlorofluorocarbon
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and pro ...
(CFC) ban and the positive impact it had on restoring the
depleted ozone
Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the lo ...
layer. The 1987
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force o ...
banned
Chlorofluorocarbon
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and pro ...
(CFO) and the
ozone layer recovered by 2000.
In giving the Nobel to Nordhaus and Romer, the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited Nordhaus as saying "the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gases is a global scheme of universally imposed carbon taxes".
Howard J. Herzog, a senior research engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that carbon capture and storage technologies, except
reforestation
Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting.
Management
A debat ...
, are problematic because of their impact on the environment, health and high cost.
In the article there is a link to another article that refers to a study published in the scientific journal "Nature Energy". The study says that we can limit warming to 1.5 degrees without
carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it (carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia. Usually th ...
, by technological innovation and changing lifestyle.
A 2021 study found that
degrowth scenarios, where economic output either "declines" or declines in terms of contemporary
economic metrics such as current
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...
, have been neglected in considerations of 1.5 °C scenarios in the report, finding that investigated degrowth scenarios "minimize many key risks for feasibility and sustainability compared to technology-driven pathways" with a core problem of such being feasibility in the context of contemporary decision-making of
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
and
globalized
Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
rebound- and relocation-effects.
[ Available unde]
CC BY 4.0
Politics
Australia
Prime Minister
Scott Morrison
Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for th ...
emphasised that the report was not specifically for Australia but for the whole world.
Energy Minister
Angus Taylor said the Government would "not be distracted" by the IPCC report saying "A debate about climate change and generation technologies in 2050 won't bring down current power prices for Australian households and small businesses."
Environment Minister
Melissa Price said that scientists are "drawing a very long bow" to say coal should be phased out by 2050 and supported new coal-fired power stations pledging not to legislate the Paris targets.
Australia is not on track to meet the commitments under Paris agreement according to modelling conducted by ClimateWorks Australia.
Canada
Canadian Environment Minister
Catherine McKenna
Catherine Mary McKenna (born August 5, 1971) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as a Cabinet minister from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, McKenna was the minister of environment and climate change from 2015 to ...
acknowledged that the SR15 report would say Canada is not "on track" for 1.5°C.
Canada will not be implementing new plans but it will continue to move forward on a "national price on carbon, eliminating coal-fired power plants, making homes and businesses more energy-efficient, and investing in clean technologies and renewable energy". In response to a question on the sense of urgency of the SR15 report during a 9 October interview on
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...
's ''
Power and Politics''
Andrew Scheer
Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. Scheer served as the 35th speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015, and was the lead ...
, the
Leader of the Opposition, promised that they are putting forward a "comprehensive plan to reduce without imposing a carbon tax" which Scheer said "raised costs without actually reducing emissions."
European Union
According to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
indicated it might add more ambitious reform goals centered around reducing emissions.
On 9 October, the
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...
presented their response to SR15 and their position for the
Katowice Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 24) held in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
in December 2018.
Their environment ministers noted recent progress in legislation to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
.
The Council's 9 October pointed to climate change legislation such as, the "new EU 2030 renewable energy target of 32%, the new energy efficiency target of 32.5%, the reform of the EU emission trading system, the emission reduction targets in sectors falling outside the scope of ETS and the integration of land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) in the EU's climate and energy framework. Low-emissions and climate resilient growth is possible: The EU is continuing successfully to decouple economic growth from emissions. Between 1990 and 2016, the EU's GDP grew by 53% while total emissions fell by 22.4%. The EU's share of global greenhouse gas emissions fell from an estimated 17.3% in 1990 to 9.9% in 2012.
India
The
Centre for Science and Environment
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1980, CSE works as a think tank on environment-development issues in India, poor planning, ...
said the repercussions for developing countries such as India, would be "catastrophic" at 2°C warming and that the impact even at 1.5°C described in SR15 is much greater than anticipated. Crop yields would decline and poverty would increase.
New Zealand
The Minister for Climate Change
James Shaw said that the Report "has laid out a strong case for countries to make every effort to limit temperature rise to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. ... The good news is that the IPCC's report is broadly in line with this Government's direction on climate change and it's highly relevant to the work we are doing with the Zero Carbon Bill."
United States
President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
said that he had received the report, but wanted to learn more about those who "drew it" before offering conclusions.
In an interview with ABC's "This Week" the director of the
National Economic Council,
Larry Kudlow
Lawrence Alan Kudlow (born August 20, 1947) is an American conservative television personality and financial program host for the Fox network who served as the Director of the National Economic Council during the Trump Administration from 2018 ...
, stated, "personally, I think the UN study is way too difficult," and that the authors "overestimate" the likelihood for environmental disasters.
Since the publication Trump stated in an interview on
60 Minutes that he didn't know that climate change is manmade and that "it'll change back again", the scientists who say it's worse than ever have "a very big political agenda" and that "we have scientists that disagree with
anmade climate change"
COP24
The governments of four countries (the gas/oil-producers USA, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) blocked a proposal to welcome the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C at the
2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24).
Other
The "Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C" (SR15) is cited by
Greta Thunberg
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation.
Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...
in her speeches "Wherever I Go I Seem to Be Surrounded by Fairy Tales" (
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, Washington DC, 18 September 2019) and "We Are the Change and Change Is Coming" (Week For Future, Climate Strike,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, 27 September 2019), both published in the second edition of ''
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
''No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference'' is a book by climate activist Greta Thunberg. It was originally published on 30 May 2019. It consists of a collection of eleven speeches which she has written and presented about global warming and th ...
''.
At the 2019
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
, the head of the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
,
Kristalina Georgieva
Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova ( bg, Кристалина Иванова Георгиева-Кинова; ; born 13 August 1953) is a Bulgarian economist serving as managing director of the International Monetary Fund since 2019. She was t ...
, said that: "The big eye opener
nto climate change and its effectswas when last year I read
he SR15IPCC report. I tell you, I could not sleep that night.
..What have we done?".
See also
*
Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)
References
Further reading
*
** , chapters I–V
External links
ClimateClock: time left to reaching the 1.5 °C threshold
{{DEFAULTSORT:Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 ºC
2018 documents
2018 in science
2018 in the environment
Climate change assessment and attribution
Environmental reports
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change