36 Pages of Evidence
6 years, 3 months, 20 days, 22 hours
1 April 2023
Fight for every emission reduction. Fight for every tenth of a degree.
A few weeks ago the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a summary report of the latest understanding of climate science. For anyone who remains to be persuaded that climate change is a real, man-made, and an existential threat to both humanity and all other living things, its 36 pages is the most distilled concentration of expert evidence you can read.
But of course very few people will read it, let alone the thousands of pages that formed the three detailed reports on which this one is based. Despite best efforts it is still in the careful language and properly-referenced style of an academic paper. Which gives it credibility but means for 99.999% of the population it isn’t remotely engaging.
Which is why I really like this short blog by climate campaigner Neil Kitching, who presented to our Climate Warriors community a few years ago and whose book Carbon Choices sits on my bedside table. He has condensed those 36 pages into less than 50 sentences of summary and commentary. And I find I like his commentary even better than the original statements, because he just cuts to the chase.
As a teaser to further tempt you to take a look, here are my favourite two statements: ‘So, don’t give up. Fight for every emission reduction. Fight for every tenth of a degree’ and ‘It’s really not difficult or complicated. The message is crystal clear. We need to act decisively everywhere all at once and immediately.’
The one aspect of the report that Neil doesn’t cover is the very last section, but for me it is the one that is crucial because it speaks to how we get out of this mess. The final summary statement is this: ‘Finance, technology and international cooperation are critical enablers for accelerated climate action. If climate goals are to be achieved, both adaptation and mitigation financing would need to increase many-fold. There is sufficient global capital to close the global investment gaps but there are barriers to redirect capital to climate action. Enhancing technology innovation systems is key to accelerate the widespread adoption of technologies and practices. Enhancing international cooperation is possible through multiple channels. (high confidence).’