On August 9, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its Sixth Assessment Report, which summarizes the current state of Earth’s warming climate while looking ahead to future scenarios with and without effective climate action. 

Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund, issued this statement in response to the report--

“The latest report from top international scientists – which warns that we will likely exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming roughly a decade earlier than expected – should trigger both serious concern and concerted action by policymakers around the world.

“The report makes clear that if we don’t move aggressively to cut the pollution heating our atmosphere, we are guaranteeing a less stable, less habitable and less prosperous world now and in the future.

“This report also provides a road map for slowing the rate of warming and protecting our communities from even more instability.

“For the first time, the IPCC highlights the importance of short-lived, highly potent pollutants such as methane, which alone accounts for at least 25 percent of the warming we are currently experiencing.

“The report quashes any remaining debate about the urgent need to slash methane pollution, especially from sectors such as oil and gas, where the available reductions are fastest and cheapest.

“When it comes to our overheating planet, every fraction of a degree matters – and there is no faster, more achievable way to slow the rate of warming than by cutting human-caused methane emissions.

“As the report makes equally clear, we need to simultaneously amp up efforts to slash carbon dioxide emissions while actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere. This is where protecting and restoring nature can deliver big gains.

“Natural climate solutions provided by forests, grasslands and wetlands not only draw down carbon and store it underground, but also help clean the air and water, and buffer communities from increased storms, flooding and drought.

“Best of all, natural climate solutions are available to deploy today and have the potential to provide a significant proportion of the climate mitigation we need between now and 2030.

“In the United States, Congress has a narrow window to take the kind of bold action necessary to meet this challenge.

“As it considers legislation to rebuild our infrastructure and invest in our people, it must move aggressively to clean up the largest sources of climate pollution and address environmental injustice.

“As the new IPCC report vividly demonstrates, this may be our last best chance to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.”

Visit the EDF Climate Solutions webpage for more information.

For more information, visit the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report webpage.  Click Here for a summary of the report.

NewsClips:

-- AP: ‘Nowhere To Run’: U.N. Report Says Global Warming Nears Limits

-- The Guardian: Major Climate Changes Inevitable And Irreversible - IPCC’s Starkest Warning Yet

-- Reuters: U.N. Sounds Clarion Call Over Humans “Irreversible’ Impact On Climate

-- NPR: A Major Report Warns Climate Change Is Accelerating And Humans Must Cut Emissions Now

-- USA Today: ‘Code Red For Humanity’: U.N. Report Gives Stark Warning On Climate Change

Related Articles:

-- Senate Environmental Committee: Meets Aug. 18 To Vote On Letter Disapproving Final Carbon Pollution Reduction Reg. Covering Power Plants [RGGI] 

-- House Environmental Committee Sets Aug. 17 Hearing On Environmental, Economic Benefits Of Pipelines; DEP Fined Pipelines Over $55 Million For Violations Over Last 5 Years 

-- Natural Gas, Hazardous Liquids Pipelines Are NOT Required To Carry Insurance Or Show They Can Pay For Damages If They Explode, Leak Or Kill Someone

-- House Republicans Now Want To Take Away All DEP’s Application Fee Revenue To Further De-Fund Environmental Protection Programs 

[Posted: August 9, 2021]

8/16/2021