Monday 8 October 2018

New Report on Climate Change is Out

Today the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new report on the importance of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC. Their assessment of the global climate situation acknowledges that doing this will require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.They state that on the other hand, limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC would benefit the environment: 

For instance, by 2100, global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower with global warming of 1.5°C compared with 2°C. 
The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5°C, compared with at least once per decade with 2°C. 
 Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent withglobal warming of 1.5°C, whereas virtually all (> 99 percent) would be lost with 2ºC.

This article in the New York Times outlines how a 1.5ºC rise in temperature is better than 2°C.
The effects of a 1.5ºC rise in temperature are scary enough and it's going to be a real challenge to keep to that. To prevent a 2.7ºC rise in temperature (which some people fear we're heading for) greenhouse pollution must be reduced by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, and 100 percent by 2050.  By 2050, use of coal as an electricity source would have to drop from nearly 40 percent today to between 1 and 7 percent. Renewable energy such as wind and solar, which make up about 20 percent of the electricity mix today, would have to increase to as much as 67 percent. It's pretty urgent (as this article, also in the New York Times outlines). 
We of course need action on the national and international levels, but there are things we can all do as individuals such as flying less (I think its 20 years since I've been on a plane), driving less (we don't have a car, though we often rent a car when we go on holiday to remote parts of Scotland), having fewer children (we don't have children) and changing to an environmentally friendly energy company (we're in the process of changing our energy supplier and I'll report on that once the process is complete). Of course there are other things you can do which are good for the environment, but apparently recycling, reducing plastics etc are less effective at reducing the carbon emissions which are directly responsible for the rising temperatures. 
You can access the IPCC report here


6 comments:

Gwil W said...

In this respect the EU is a complete waste of time. They hear see and speak no evil when it comes to the conduct of their favourite country. It was the US who exposed the German Dieselgate scandal. Anybody mentioning brown coal over there? One journalist already fell to his death reporting this one.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

I believe in the climate changes and living more green is the way to go.
I just wish our latest administration cared for the earth as much as I do.
Happy Monday, enjoy your day and week ahead.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Yup, Life as we know it is over. But we just keep on ignoring it.

Caroline Gill said...

I'm glad you have drawn our attention to this in such a helpful way, Juliet. And well said, Eileen!

Magyar said...

We are able to immediately control:
__ Plastics! Plastic bottles, bags, cups, straws and so many other ~plastic products~ that are ~very rarely~ disposed of, or re-cycled properly. These ~plastics~ are too often tossed out the windows of those fossil fuel burning vehicles, into and infesting the wild lands and seas where they, are poisons to nature.
__ Fossil fuels and plastics then, are a double poisoning. _m

Crafty Green Poet said...

Gwil, yes people here are talking about brown coal, not enough of course as environmental issues generally get swept under the carpet. And i suspect that after Brexit the UK will get worse on all environmental areas.

Eileen thanks

Sallie - it's probably easier to ignore it, sadly

Caroline - thanks

Magyar - piastic is a huge issue and needs to be dealt with immediately and properly without using solutions that then cause their own problems.....