Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Climate change: 'Political and economic madness' to invest in fossil fuels warns UN, as landmark report asks us to change lifestyles

Climate change: 'Political and economic madness' to invest in fossil fuels warns UN, as landmark report asks us to change lifestyles

The summary, referred to as a 'litany of broken promises' by the UN, warns current fossil fuel plans put the world on course for 2C warming, but carbon capture and lifestyle changes can help.

It is "moral and economic madness" to fund new fossil fuel projects, the United Nations (UN) chief said today, as a pioneering report warned simply cutting emissions was no longer enough to curb the climate crisis.

The need to scale up the measures to remove carbon dioxide from the air are now "unavoidable" in order to meet net zero goals, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a landmark document.

The UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called the climate report a "litany of broken climate promises... cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unliveable world".

Campaigners may be regarded as radicals, the "truly dangerous radicals" are those countries increasing fossil fuel production, he said, calling for a trebled pace in the shift to renewables.

His comments land as the British government considers increased oil and gas production from the North Sea, with many states seeking to wean themselves off fossil fuels from Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

While the Ukraine war "may reduce the media coverage" of the report in some countries, many are now more aware of the "multiple risks associated with dependence on fossil fuels, including energy insecurity and unaffordability as well as climate change," Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, told Sky News.

The report, commissioned and endorsed by 195 governments, warns current fossil fuel plans put the world on course for 2C warming. It also urges an end to all fossil fuel subsidies and new coal plants and warns oil and gas will become stranded assets in the next few decades.

Eleventh hour wrangling between nations delayed its publication. Sky News understands oil-rich Saudi Arabia queried some fossil fuel language and India pushed for a distinction in responsibilities for developing and developed countries - though the United States pushed back.

The need for carbon dioxide removals


The report is the strongest yet on the need for carbon dioxide removals: ways to suck carbon out of the air including technologies that store it underground or harnessing natural methods like oceans, soils and trees to soak it up.

It says we have enough space underground to store permanently all the CO2 emissions we need to limit warming to 1.5C, but globally carbon capture and storage deployment is "far below" the level needed. In 2015 the UK government cancelled £1bn of promised funding for the technology.

Campaigners fear that carbon dioxide removals distract from the need to cut emissions, but scientists have been at pains to stress that the world desperately needs both.

Prof Michael Grubb, a lead author, said these methods would not "ride to the rescue" of fossil fuel industries. They should only be available to offset areas where emissions reductions are likely impossible, such as like aviation and cement, he said.

There is no question we are "cooked" without drastic emissions cuts, Sir David King, former UK Government chief scientific adviser and founder of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, told Sky News. "

But he said we are beginning to see a "very significant beginning of a change of tactic within the IPCC," with more emphasis on greenhouse removals at scale.

Key points:


*  Both "rapid and deep and in most cases immediate" emissions cuts and greenhouse gas removals are essential to reach 1.5C

*  For the first time a whole chapter highlights how changes diets, lifestyles, shopping habits and travel can reduce emissions. But structural and cultural change are essential too

*  Emissions in the last decade were highest in history, though rate of growth has slowed

*  We have enough space underground to lock away all the CO2 emissions we need to from now until 2100 to keep us at 1.5C, but we aren't deploying that technology fast enough

*  Many types of renewable energy have become increasingly cheap, viable and used

*  Countries are not matching promises with policies

The cost of some forms of renewables and electric vehicles have fallen, and their use continues to rise, IPCC finds


'Glass half full'


Amid the bleak warnings came some reasons for hope, including the dramatic fall in the cost of renewables.

"The report very much paints a picture of glass half empty, half full - but rising," Prof Grubb told Sky News.

It says the world already has the technologies, expertise, and financial potential across all sectors to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

And for the first time it dedicates a whole chapter to changes many consumers can make to reduce demand for fossil fuels.

What are the IPCC reports?


Today's landmark report is the final of three issued over the past eight months, with February's report focusing on impacts and last summer's on the science. They are seen as the most authoritative reports in the world and inform discussions at the annual COP climate summit.

The reports are issued every six to seven years, and the one focusing on mitigation, like today's, is often the most contentious because it concerns what leaders, businesses and citizens must do to cut climate heating pollution.

Hundreds of scientists compiled the report from thousands of studies over seven years, before the summary was scrutinised by 195 governments and finally signed off today. While the language of such reports has become more emphatic as evidence mounts, the consensual nature of the process means the strongest warnings could have been tempered.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
×