So, what do we do now that we know we are probably screwed?

Science does not blink. The special report issued by the IPCC in October 2018 is unequivocal in its warnings. We are out of time to take action to reduce fossil fuel emissions. We must engage in steep and immediate reductions in emissions if we are to keep the global average temperature from exceeding 2˚C by the early part of the second half of this century. The popular discourse about how many years we may have remaining to take this action is immaterial to whether we might achieve this. Given the current administration’s aggressive repression of science and the denial of the need to address this gravest threat to civilization since we wandered out of Africa, it is very unlikely that we will mount such a massive global effort with the necessary urgency.

Dana Point a coastal city in California
which is now facing rapid sea level rise.

But, certainly despair is premature. There are now many countries, mostly small ones, that are committed to zero carbon emissions in the near term. Despite political resistance by utilities and the fossil fuel lobby, renewable energy is developing rapidly in Europe and some states of the US. Innovation in grid management and power storage have removed the often ridiculous arguments that renewables are unreliable because wind and sunlight are intermittent. My colleagues point to progress in the largely commercial renewable energy sector and declare that we will be mostly carbon free by 2050.

Read the Medium story by Stephen Mulkey - “So, what do we do now that we know we are probably screwed?”

The UN’s 1.5°C special climate report at a glance

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report today on the impacts of global warming of 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels.

The report outlines the considerable challenges of meeting the Paris Agreement’s more ambitious goal of limiting warming to 1.5℃, the global effort needed to achieve the target, and the consequences of not.

The highlights of the report are presented below:

Read the report from The Conversation - “The UN’s 1.5°C special climate report at a glance.”

The science is clear: we have to start creating our low-carbon future today

This week’s release of the special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put scientific evidence on the front page of the world’s newspapers.

Hydrogen fuel is just one opportunity for Australia in a clean-energy future.

As Australia’s Chief Scientist, I hope it will be recognised as a tremendous validation of the work that scientists do.

The people of the world, speaking through their governments, requested this report to quantify the impacts of warming by 1.5℃ and what steps might be taken to limit it. They asked for the clearest possible picture of the consequences and feasible solutions.

Read the piece from The Conversation by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel - “The science is clear: we have to start creating our low-carbon future today.”

Leaked final government draft of UN 1.5C climate report – annotated

What is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C?

The UN's climate science panel has produced a new
draft report on the impacts of 1.5C of warming. 

The 2015 Paris climate deal outlined two distinct goals:

Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.

At the Paris conference, governments also charged the UN’s climate science panel, the IPCC, with producing a report that assessed the difference between these two goals would be, in terms of impacts on human life, the economy and the global environment. That report is due to be published in October.

Read the Climate Home story - “Leaked final government draft of UN 1.5C climate report – annotated.”