This afternoon I attended a side event panel discussion entitled “Climate Science for Policy.” This panel discussed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chance (IPCC) Special report, World Meteorological Organization(WMO) statement on the state of the global climate, and the United Nations Environment Program Emissions Gap report 2018. These reports illustrate the growing urgent need for climate science research and policy to align. We need good scientific information to inform our actions and policies going forward. In this case the political environment seems to be lagging behind the legitimate science. In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, it will be critical for policymakers to use the information in these reports to guide their decisions.
The WMO report covered global trends related to global temperatures, greenhouse gases, sea ice, sea levels, ocean heat content, and ocean acidification. The years from 2013-17 have been the five warmest years on record. Sea ice is at 7% below its average levels, sea levels are rising, ocean heat and acidification are increasing. These rapid changes will all have major impacts. We are already beginning to see the impacts as extreme weather events occur more frequently. The panelist concluded with a slide that said every bit of warming matters, every year matters, every choice matters but to also remember that “every life matters.” The goals of the Paris Agreement are in place not only for our immediate future but also for the sake of future generations.
The UN Environment presentation gave an urgent call to action as we rapidly approach 1.5 degrees of warming. Their report focused mainly on greenhouse gas emissions and the predicted levels of emissions reduction that will be necessary to reach the 1.5 degree goal set out by the Paris Agreement. This presentation made it clear that countries must adopt more ambitious nationally decided contributions in order to stay on pace for well below even two degrees of warming. The panelist said that there is still hope to reduce emissions to reach 1.5 degrees of warming, but it will require immediate action, that demands further innovation and policy. The IPCC Special report echos a similar perspective. At the current rate, we will reach 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030-50 with no clear signs that emissions have actually peaked.
Although these reports paint a dire picture of the state of the climate the panelists did not want to end on such a discouraging note. Achieving our goals will require rapid and comprehensive reforms, but it is not impossible. This call to action also illustrates the panelists’ faith in human ingenuity and our ability to rise up to overcome challenges through a coordinated and collective effort.