Nations Must Speed Up Shift to Renewables to Stifle Climate Change

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Nations must dramatically speed up their shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy technologies if civilization is going to succeed in reining in the worst consequences of climate change, a new report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says.

The major report, released Monday, is the third and final installment of a broad, multi-year assessment of climate change.

In it, a working group of 278 scientists from 65 countries assert that the prime goal of the Paris Agreement — to keep temperatures from increasing above 1.5°C (or 2.7°F) from pre-industrial levels — is quickly becoming unreachable.

That’s a very bad thing because, scientists largely agree, going beyond that threshold will hasten the collapse of the global ecosystem and bring with it even worse wildfires, droughts and floods.

“That is why we have called this the decisive decade,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a written statement after the report was released. 

“Without full implementation of current national pledges and robust, aggressive, and ambitious further action we cannot keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal within reach,” he said.

Blinken noted the IPCC found there are options available now, in all sectors, that can halve global emissions by 2030 — from improving energy efficiency, to halting and reversing global deforestation, to deploying more sustainable transportation and clean energy. 

“There are ways to improve our chances of success, including more effective decision-making across all levels of government, increased alignment of financial flows with climate outcomes, and enhanced international cooperation,” Blinken said.

According to the 2,913 page report, human beings have already warmed the planet by an average of 1.1°C since the 19th century, largely by burning fossil fuels for energy.

To hold further warming to just 1.5°C, the report said, would require nations to collectively reduce their planet-warming emissions 43% by 2030 and to completely stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by the early 2050s. 

Monday’s report was released against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused oil and gas prices to surge. Just last week, President Joe Biden announced plans to release one million barrels of oil per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the next six months.

But even if the realities of geopolitics impinge on the climate fight, the authors continue to urge countries to try to drive down their greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible to prevent as much heating of the planet as they can.

They also remain confident that so-called “global warming” will largely end, once the world’s nations reach net zero emissions.

As sobering as the report is, the authors also offer some cautious optimism. They note that many of the participating countries have taken steps to reduce the number of coal-fired power plants they rely on and have increased their use of energy from renewable sources.

As a result of these efforts, they note that even with an increase in fossil fuel consumption, the growth in harmful emissions has slowed, decade over decade.

“That is why the administration has made tackling the climate crisis a central part of its agenda from day one,” Blinken said. “The president’s FY 2023 budget request to Congress includes more than $11 billion in international climate finance to avert the worst impacts of climate change and to support developing countries in taking more ambitious climate action.

“This report makes it clear: the tools to stave off the worst impacts of the climate crisis are firmly within our grasp. Nations of the world must be brave enough to use them,” Blinken added.

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