Final IPCC report produces a flurry of news reports

Release of the final report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has resulted in a flurry of news reports.

This report is the last before next year’s Paris summit at which an international binding agreement to tackle the root causes is hoped to be reached.

News outlets around the world have reported on the IPCC findings and accompanying the media commotion has been comment and analysis from many pundits.

In a story headed: “U.N. Panel Issues Its Starkest Warning Yet On Global Warming” the New York Times the New York Times says: “The gathering risks of climate change are so profound that they could stall or even reverse generations of progress against poverty and hunger if greenhouse emissions continue at a runaway pace, according to a major new United Nations report.”

The Melbourne Age, in a story headed: “UN panel warns opportunity to stop climate change fading fast” says “The world must stop almost all greenhouse gas emissions through a phased elimination of fossil fuels by 2100 if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, a new United Nations report says.”

Meanwhile, Age reporter, Nick Miller his written a special piece in today’s Age headed: “Climate conference analysis: a new urgency appears”.

Many have criticized the coalition’s Direct Action policy (now law) arguing it will do little, other than transfer public money into the bank balances of private enterprise.

However, Australia’s Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, is confident a signature policy of the Abbott Government will have the desired outcome and has said that in an Age story “Greg Hunt says IPCC report vindicates the government's Direct Action policy”.

At the same time, a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister, John Howard, has declared Direct Action as “Mickey Mouse”.

Geoff Cousins, now the Australian Conservation Foundation president, has said in a story headed: “Direct Action is a Mickey Mouse scheme says former Howard adviser” that the government was failing all Australians in the area of climate change policy.