Amid the IPCC's 'Final Warning', Hope Instead of Despair
While the climate crisis is urgent and not something to be explained away or dismissed, pessimism about the future is not going to provide us the impetus to confront it rationally.
Last year, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres darkly pronounced “I have seen many scientific reports in my time, but nothing like this… atlas of human suffering” after reading an International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warning of “widespread and pervasive” impacts on all living things from frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms, and floods.
The year before that, the IPCC released a report warning Earth faces uncontrollable global warming unless nations take drastic measures to eliminate greenhouse gases, “unequivocally” blaming humans for the crisis.
It concludes that, based on carbon emissions presently in the atmosphere, average global temperatures will likely rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius — 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit — above pre-industrial levels by 2040.
Last week, the IPCC released a “final warning” — the last in a synthesis of six reports — that states either we take drastic action now or it will be too late.
António Guterres responded:
This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.
One might be justified in descending into depression, assuming the end is near, and we’re doomed.
Despite its dire tone, though, scientists who authored the report have a positive message.
IPCC chair Hoesung Lee encouraged:
This synthesis report underscores the urgency of taking more ambitious action and shows that, if we act now, we can still secure a livable sustainable future for all.
The Guardian reported:
Temperatures are now about 1.1C above pre-industrial levels, the IPCC found. If greenhouse gas emissions can be made to peak as soon as possible, and are reduced rapidly in the following years, it may still be possible to avoid the worst ravages that would follow a 1.5C rise.
Alice Bell, writing last year for The Guardian, said:
The best antidote to climate fear is always climate action, so roll up your sleeves and get to work. Not sure where to start? Do something that brings you joy. You’ll be at your most powerful and your most infectious. Climate change is grim, plain and simple. But taking action on it can be an absolute ball. You’ve got a range of options-you can work to help us quit fossil fuels, or shift what we eat and buy to get greenhouse gases down. We can call on governments to act faster to get us to net zero through moving to renewable energy and making our homes and transport more energy-efficient. We can plant trees and pursue other nature-based solutions.
She added:
We will also need to live with the changes that are already here. That means campaigning on a whole host of issues that might not immediately seem climate-related, too: migration, housing, poverty and mental health provision.
Former UN climate chief, Christiana Figueres, presently with the Global Optimism group, said:
We can prevent and protect ourselves from extreme weather, famines, health problems and more by cutting emissions and investing in adaptation strategies. The science and the solutions are clear. It’s up to us how we shape the future.
But individual actions, while important, can only go so far.
While it’s true every person in the United States — man, woman, and child — contributes about $2,000 a year in fossil fuel subsidies, and while some Democratic politicians — and 100% of republican ones — are sponsoring legislation written to prop up fossil fuels interests, the tide is turning.
We are seeing the difference the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill the Senate passed in 2021 that includes $7.5 billion each for electric vehicle charging stations and zero- and low-emission ferries and buses, including school buses, is starting to make in our communities.
$73 billion is going toward power grid infrastructure.
$46 billion is being put toward flood, drought, and wildfire damage.
Last year’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) builds on that progress.
It invests about $385 billion in energy and climate change incentives that include tax credits for solar and wind energy equipment production and electric vehicles purchases.
It provides incentives to manufacture new car batteries domestically, and invests hundreds of billions of dollars in tax credits for clean energy like solar and wind, clean transportation, and de-carbonized buildings.
The new methane Emissions Reduction Program improves methane monitoring, funds environmental restoration, helps communities reduce pollution’s health effects, and increases climate resilience.
Urban parks and resilience for tribal communities are seeing significant funding, including $60 billion in new resources for environmental justice communities’ legacy pollution clean-up efforts, and rural communities will be able to take advantage of lower cost and cleaner energy sources.
The greenhouse gas reduction fund provides low-cost financing for clean energy projects, with at least 60% of the benefits of these investments flowing to disadvantaged communities.
For consumers, this means additional tax credits that encourage purchases of energy efficient homes, vehicles, and appliances, reducing energy costs and utility bills.
We’ve seen over the past few years how absent American example and leadership causes other countries to shrug off their environmental commitments.
Since his first day in office, President Biden has been working to either reverse or review “ the former guy’s” all-out assault on the environment, including establishing the most progressive climate policy in history, demanding the federal government pause and review oil and gas drilling on federal land, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, and electrifying the government’s vehicle fleet.
Despair is not an option.
While the climate crisis is urgent and not something to be explained away or dismissed, pessimism about the future is not going to provide us the impetus to confront it rationally.
The IPCC’s report is urgent, but it is not a death warrant.