Carbon Pollution Must End: Response to IPCC Report

The U.N. released new findings on the state of our current climate and what is required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change: in short, carbon pollution must end. 

In its report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), summarizes the facts about human activities warming the planet. New in this report is the scale of warming that is already locked in:

“Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least the mid-century under all emissions scenarios considered. Global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades.”

The real impact of tons of carbon emitted and degrees of warming are harming people and places around the globe right now. From droughts, wildfires, floods, and heatwaves, our world is calling for us to take rapid action. We know communities are more resilient when we care for one another and work together. Not included in the report is the disproportional impacts experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. We’d be remiss to not mention the report was released on World Indigenous People’s Day; it is critical to acknowledge that climate solutions are led directly by underrepresented and marginalized peoples. We must push our leaders for equitable solutions that begin and end with community—we are not alone. Together we must keep in sight all we can save. 

“The findings are alarming, yet unsurprising for anyone that has been paying attention to the world around us over the last decade,” said Kristen Poppleton, Interim Executive Director. “We know that carbon pollution is the problem, and that 70% of this problem stems from 100 large corporations. We also know what to do—rapidly switch to clean energy, cut fossil-fuel pollution, reduce methane leaks, and protect our forests on a wide scale that saves our natural infrastructure: earth. And, we know our obstacles are political, not scientific or economic. That’s where your voices come in. We need all of you to tell everyone you know, especially your elected officials, that the time for aggressive and ambitious action is now. ”

While the report does not tell us what to do, the warnings are strongly worded: now is the time for our local and national policies on climate change to follow suit. The release of the report is timely, with a dozen or so weeks before the international climate negotiations (COP26) begin in Glasgow, Scotland.

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This moment is critical. While we must acknowledge the fear and grief brought on by our changing climate, it is more important than ever to participate in sharing your voice with those elected to make decisions for this generation and the next. The report makes it clear: decarbonization is our only future.

More ways to take action with us: 

• Share why the IPCC report matters to you with friends and family. Log your climate conversations at talkclimatechange.org – mention Climate Generation in the “organization” box when you submit! Need help sharing your climate story? Find tips and prompts on our website.
• Support Climate Generation’s work.