The IPCC report is a report created by the world’s top climate experts. It involves hundreds of climate scientists and compiles thousands of research studies encapsulating everything there is to know about climate change. The report took 8 years to produce, and only part 1 of 3 has been released to the public, which deals with core climate science. The reports yet to come will discuss the impacts of the climate crisis and strategies for impact reduction, respectively.
Although the full IPCC report is thousands of pages long, it has been boiled down to its highlights in the summary for policymakers (SPM). The SPM is created in a fortnight long meeting of scientists, but there is a catch – the IPCC was cofounded by the UN and the World Meteorological Association, and world governments are invited to participate in developing the SPM as well. The involvement of government in creating the SPM is a double-edged sword. It has been flagged for concern by scientists that the messages included in the SPM have been subdued by self-interested governments. However, because they have been involved in creating it, those same governments are obligated to endorse and act on the information within the SPM and include it in their policy making. In this way the IPCC report has the potential to heavily influence national policies as well as international agreements, which is especially important in the lead up to the UN’s 26th Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). Put simply, this international climate summit will facilitate negotiations about climate action on a national and international scale for the next decade – and during these negotiations, nations can expect to be held to the information in the IPCC report.
So what does the report actually say?
The IPPC report is an unsettling read, delivering what could well be our final warning for climate action. What is important going ahead is not to feel hopeless about this information – dire as it seems, there is still potential for meaningful change.
The report details that the window of opportunity to avoid the worst of climate change is closing rapidly, and that immediate and extremely thorough emissions reductions must be a priority. It outlines that due to lack of action, deadly consequences such as extreme weather events are already occurring and will continue to accelerate - increasing in frequency and intensity. And while politicians frequently cite disruption to society as an excuse not to shift away from fossil fuels, it is sudden and devastating consequences like ocean current changes, accelerated coastal erosion and ice sheet collapse that pose the real threat of disruption. The report also explains that every fraction of a degree counts – every 0.5 degrees Celsius of temperature increase will cause exponentially more damage.
However, this also means that every 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming that can be prevented is meaningful.
What can you do?
There is an abundance of ways that you can contribute to keeping global temperatures as low as possible. While the emissions of corporations are indisputably much more significant, by taking the time to assess your own carbon footprint, you can find ways to make meaningful change in your life. An activity that may help you to figure out what changes could be made to your lifestyle to reduce your carbon footprint is as follows:
Search ‘carbon footprint calculator’ online and calculate your estimated carbon footprint. Take note of the areas in which you scored highly. As every site is slightly different, it may be helpful to take 3 or so tests – then you can add your 3 results together and divide this number by 3 to get the average (or mean) of your scores.
You will probably find there is one or more areas in your life that are consistently scoring highly in the breakdown of your carbon footprint. There are no blanket solutions to these issues, so spend some time thinking about ways that your specific lifestyle can be adjusted to bring this number down. If you scored highly for transport or fuel consumption, is walking more an option for you? If you scored highly for shopping or leisure consumption, can you find the things you’re looking for second-hand in thrift stores or online marketplaces?
Ultimately what’s most important in all of this is to do what you can to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Taking care of your mental health first is a vital part of climate advocacy and activism, and compassionate, intersectional environmentalism is far easier to sustain than hardcore lifestyles like zero waste. Make small changes, make them gradually, and never criticize yourself for not being perfect – in time you will be looking around at your life are realizing how much has changed.
Kit B
The Carbon Newsprint
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