It’s time to act – IPCC report on climate change

Yesterday the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report that states that unprecedented change needs to take place across the world in order to limit the risks of climate change.

The report identifies that in order to keep below an increase in global temperature of 1.5ºC, there would need to be a 45% cut in global carbon emissions by 2030 which means big changes to reduce emissions in energy use, agricultural management and transport systems. If the global temperature were to rise above 1.5ºC the world’s population are set to experience droughts, floods, extreme heat and poverty.

Pressures on our coral reefs and arctic sea ice would increase as well as threats to many species.

Under Her Eye keynote speaker and Former UN Climate Chief who led the historic Paris agreement of 2015, Christiana Figueres believes “limited warming is possible if there is a political will.” Figueres also says in response to the new report: “There is nothing opaque about this new data. The illustrations of mounting impacts, the fast-approaching and irreversible tipping points are visceral visions of a future that no policymaker could wish to usher in or be responsible for.” You can read more here.

Speaking on the Radio Four Today programme, Professor Jim Skea, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III said that “government went to the scientists for this report.” and within the IPCC press release, Professor Skea said: “Limiting warming to 1.5ºC is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes.”

Read the IPCC press release – Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC approved by governments here.

Listen again to the Radio Four interview at 1:09:00 here.

For a clear summary of the report see The BBC .

Guardian report – We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN here.

“It is the most significant warning about the impact of climate change in 20 years ….but also surprisingly hopeful.” –  Matt McGrath, BBC Environment correspondent, Incheon, South Korea

At Invisible Dust we work with artists and scientists to make the invisible, visible.

We do this through artists exploring environmental issues and reaching far greater audiences and reaching them on a personal level than the science can do. Artists work with emotion, humour and stories whereas science has to be subjective. From air pollution to women and climate change and marine protected areas to biodiversity, our aim is to encourage awareness of and responses to climate change, sustainability and related health, technological and environmental issues. We aim to be a reflective organisation with a continuous stream of learning from audiences, participants and partners. In this way, we create responsive, accessible and imaginative stimulus for people to understand and act on environmental issues.

We encourage you to read more about the report and its consequences and support us and other environmental organisations working to develop action on climate change. Ideas for action here.