Emission cuts will be 'too little, too late' - it's time for a war-footing

Professor Jim Skea.

The analogy of a “war footing” is frequently used to explain how the world needs to respond to climate change.

However, quite the reverse is happening with ideological debates taking us deeper into an abyss to make it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to see the earth return to a state in which humans, and other species, can prosper.

Humanity appears addicted to the prevailing carbon intensive way of life that is simply worsening emissions every month and edging us closer to catastrophic climate change.

Some claim that proposed changes are bold and will keep us below the agreed two degree pre-industrial limit (at even less than one degree, the world’s climate is changing faster than ever anticipated), but in fact they a wholly inadequate and in reality timid.

One who agrees with that is the vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Professor Jim Skea, who is quoted in a Climate Progress story headed: “IPCC Official Says Europe’s Planned 2030 Emission Cuts Would Be ‘Too Little Too Late’”.