There are no more doubts: the climate is changing quickly and with increasingly frequent extreme phenomena. This is what emerged from the first of 4 volumes published as part of the last Intergovernmental evaluation cycle Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with subsequent reports in 2022. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its most comprehensive report on the science of climate change since 2013.
This latest document raises the alarm: we will probably overcome 1,5 gradi Celsius (2,7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming a decade ahead of schedule. This should not only cause concern but also trigger a series of actions around the world. According to what has been denounced by the experts, if we don't make an active and concrete commitment to reduce the pollution that warms our atmosphere, we will only guarantee a less safe, less habitable and less prosperous world both for us and for future generations.
Fred Krupp, President of Edf, one of the international environmental organizations, said: “This report also provides a roadmap to slow the rate of global warming and protect our communities from increased instability. For the first time, the UN underlines the importance of pollutants that have a short life, but are very powerful such as methane, alone responsible for at least 25% of the heating which is currently registered. The report puts to rest any remaining debate on the urgent need to combat methane pollution especially in sectors, such as Petroleum and gas, where faster and cheaper reductions are possible. When it comes to our warming planet every fraction of a degree counts and there is no easier or more achievable way to slow the rate of warming than to cut man-made methane emissions."
Just as the report makes equally clear that we need to act quickly, stepping up efforts to reduce emissions carbon dioxide and actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This is where the protection and restoration of nature comes into play. The natural solutions provided by forests, grasslands and wetlands absorb carbon and store it underground, and at the same time also help clean the air and water and protect communities from increased storms, floods and Drought. Above all, natural climate solutions are already available and have the potential to deliver a significant part of the climate mitigation we need by 2030.
However, while the benefits of natural solutions would be rapidly reaped, it could take two or three decades for global temperatures to begin to stabilise. And as also stated by Jill Duggan, Executive Director of Edf Europe said: “Alla COP 26 of November the world must step up its efforts to meet the ambitious goals set in Paris in 2015. The IPCC also underlined the role methane emissions are playing today: we can reduce some of the warming we experience today by cutting methane emissions now” .
A collective effort that can no longer be extended. “The EU has set a target of reducing emissions by at least 55% below 1990 levels by the end of this decade – added Duggan -. The Commission, the Parliament and the Council must demonstrate that they will take all necessary actions to reduce both carbon and methane emissions. Europe can help others, especially developing countries, to avoid the dramatic consequences of climate change growing their economies sustainably. The proposals of the climate package "fit for 55” are an opportunity for Europe to show real leadership and introduce new and ambitious regulatory measures.”
