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
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×