As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) today releases the first installment of its Sixth Assessment Report, ActionAid is calling for radical and transformative action to bring emissions down to real zero.
The landmark report finds that limiting global warming to 1.5°C needs immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Teresa Anderson, climate policy coordinator at ActionAid International, says: “This stark warning from scientists confirms the reality already being experienced by communities around the world. More frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, fires, floods and cyclones are wreaking havoc on lives and ecosystems. Women and young people in the Global South are being hit especially hard by climate extremes and changing weather patterns.
“The IPCC tells us that limiting average global warming to 1.5°C is going to be difficult – but not impossible. This new report drills home the message that radical and transformative action is urgently needed to bring emissions down to real zero. Unfortunately, too many ‘net zero’ climate plans are being used to greenwash pollution and business-as-usual, jeopardizing the goals of the Paris Agreement.
“Looking ahead to COP26, rich countries that have done the most to cause the climate crisis must face up to their dual responsibility. They need to provide real support to poor countries hit by escalating climate impacts, and they need to get serious about urgent climate action.”
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