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Global Warming of 1.5°C: IPCC Special Report on Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-industrial Levels in Context of Strengthening Response to Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty
- GenresScienceClimate Change
628 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2018
24 people want to read
About the author
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
31 books23 followersThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations that is dedicated to providing the world with objective, scientific information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of the risk of human-induced climate change, its natural, political, and economic impacts and risks, and possible response options.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 16, 2018
This is based on the 30 page summary for policy makers.
My understanding is that the more global temperatures surpass preindustrial levels, the worse life gets. If global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees the situation is bad. If global warming passes the 2 degree mark, shit really starts hitting the fan. More weather extremes (floods, drought), more people affected by rising sea levels, more poverty, more inequality.
To meet the 1.5 degree target, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 and get to zero emissions by 2050. This will only happen if drastic action is taken on a global scale to change our energy and land usage, our transportation systems and our lifestyles.
My understanding is that the more global temperatures surpass preindustrial levels, the worse life gets. If global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees the situation is bad. If global warming passes the 2 degree mark, shit really starts hitting the fan. More weather extremes (floods, drought), more people affected by rising sea levels, more poverty, more inequality.
To meet the 1.5 degree target, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 and get to zero emissions by 2050. This will only happen if drastic action is taken on a global scale to change our energy and land usage, our transportation systems and our lifestyles.
August 14, 2020
Hello friends and friendly readers,
I recently heard Greta Thunberg's Manifesto podcast on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7E2W...) and got inspired by her courage to speak up. She prompted me to read the alarming IPCC report (SR15) in the attachment to this facebook post. Since it is 630 pages long, I only read the first 60 pages, which contain the Summary for Policymakers and the Technical Summary. For anyone who wants to have an opinion or a voice on Climate Change and Global Warming, I strongly encourage you to do the same.
To make it easier for you and because I value your time, I'll give you my interpretation of the facts in the following 4min read. The scientific report starts by defining what global warming is, and why our changing climate has countless negative impacts on our planet; basically the survival of all species is at stake. (Trust me when I say the planet will be fine without us, humanity is but a tiny fraction on the biological clock of Earth's lifespan.)
The SR15 report (link attached) elaborates on the Paris Agreement (12 December, 2015) which made all countries around the world pledge to do their best to respond to the current climate crisis, by trying to limit the rise of the global mean surface air temperature (GMST) to below the average of 1.5°C instead of 2°C by 2050, compared to preindustrial levels (1850-1900).
What I extrapolate from it all, is that in order to fight this massive beast of a problem, we ALL have to work together: governments of different countries and states (multilevel), leading industries, civil society and scientific institutions. We have to shift away from an ego-materialistic and capitalistic system where making money is the main goal. As Simon Sinek intelligently says, making money can never be a goal of why you are in business; it is always a result. I like that. I have nothing against making money (we need it to live and thrive), but we should put a big part of that money to good use to safeguard our future and its generations to come, instead of wasting it all selfishly on self indulgence and wasteful consumer goods.
In order to keep the GMST down to 1.5°C, industries need to keep fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas in the ground. Green house gas emissions like CO2 as we all know - but also methane and black carbon - are the single biggest contributors to global warming and our changing climate, so we need to shift to a model where we get our energy from renewable sources.
We, as citizens, can do our part by lowering our CO2 footprint: having less kids, taking less airplane rides, embracing a more plant based lifestyle, consuming less overall, choosing for solar and more energy efficient cars and household items, insulating your house, voting for green oriented parties, changing your bank to a smaller ethical bank that uses your money for bettering planet, donating to the right foundations (Honnold Foundation, 1% For The Planet, Asociación Conservación Patagónica, The Greta Thunberg Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center are my personal favourites), etc... Vote with your dollars/euros by buying used items second hand or from ethical companies and support your locals in order to decrease shipping. Buy only what you need. Those are some of the main actions that come to mind in order to help tackling climate change on a personal level.
I know you've certainly heard most of this already, but what keeps me up at night, is that we live in a cognitive dissonance: we all know climate change is real, it's right in our faces and we see the changes first hand (record breaking heat waves year after year, a pandemic outbreak, coral reefs dying and glaciers disappearing in front of our eyes, massive forests burning due to extreme droughts, etc...). We all know what we can do about it to help minimize the effects, YET en masse we do not act upon it for various stupid reasons: we see it as a threat to change our lifestyle, a waste of time, or we come up with the lazy and lame excuse that "science will fix it all for us", or we may simply not know how to make effective changes (to make it easier, I've listed most of them above for you in the previous paragraph).
I realize we cannot all be Greta Thunbergs, but in everything we do in life, we have to look at ourselves first and start from within, before preaching to the choir. You'll soon realize you're not perfect yourself. He who is without sin, cast the first stone... I am far from perfect. We're all on this Journey to Zero-Waste together. Every little change you are able to make for a smaller (CO2) footprint is good, so focus on the positives, not on the negatives (unless they're carbon negatives)! And above all, don't get offended if someone points out to you where you can do a better job. Be accepting of the positive critique you may receive and see it as a learning experience that helps you grow in becoming a contributor to a better world. If you posses knowledge, speak up and use your voice. The science is there, let's not ignore it, but embrace it.
Lastly - and this is a big one - time is of the essence, so urgency is key. As Barack Obama so eloquently stated: "We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it."
Now read that damn report, or wake up, inform yourself, and if you already know what to do... then ACT! If we all do our part, I am convinced there is still hope.
Rant out. Peace, Harry. X
I recently heard Greta Thunberg's Manifesto podcast on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7E2W...) and got inspired by her courage to speak up. She prompted me to read the alarming IPCC report (SR15) in the attachment to this facebook post. Since it is 630 pages long, I only read the first 60 pages, which contain the Summary for Policymakers and the Technical Summary. For anyone who wants to have an opinion or a voice on Climate Change and Global Warming, I strongly encourage you to do the same.
To make it easier for you and because I value your time, I'll give you my interpretation of the facts in the following 4min read. The scientific report starts by defining what global warming is, and why our changing climate has countless negative impacts on our planet; basically the survival of all species is at stake. (Trust me when I say the planet will be fine without us, humanity is but a tiny fraction on the biological clock of Earth's lifespan.)
The SR15 report (link attached) elaborates on the Paris Agreement (12 December, 2015) which made all countries around the world pledge to do their best to respond to the current climate crisis, by trying to limit the rise of the global mean surface air temperature (GMST) to below the average of 1.5°C instead of 2°C by 2050, compared to preindustrial levels (1850-1900).
What I extrapolate from it all, is that in order to fight this massive beast of a problem, we ALL have to work together: governments of different countries and states (multilevel), leading industries, civil society and scientific institutions. We have to shift away from an ego-materialistic and capitalistic system where making money is the main goal. As Simon Sinek intelligently says, making money can never be a goal of why you are in business; it is always a result. I like that. I have nothing against making money (we need it to live and thrive), but we should put a big part of that money to good use to safeguard our future and its generations to come, instead of wasting it all selfishly on self indulgence and wasteful consumer goods.
In order to keep the GMST down to 1.5°C, industries need to keep fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas in the ground. Green house gas emissions like CO2 as we all know - but also methane and black carbon - are the single biggest contributors to global warming and our changing climate, so we need to shift to a model where we get our energy from renewable sources.
We, as citizens, can do our part by lowering our CO2 footprint: having less kids, taking less airplane rides, embracing a more plant based lifestyle, consuming less overall, choosing for solar and more energy efficient cars and household items, insulating your house, voting for green oriented parties, changing your bank to a smaller ethical bank that uses your money for bettering planet, donating to the right foundations (Honnold Foundation, 1% For The Planet, Asociación Conservación Patagónica, The Greta Thunberg Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center are my personal favourites), etc... Vote with your dollars/euros by buying used items second hand or from ethical companies and support your locals in order to decrease shipping. Buy only what you need. Those are some of the main actions that come to mind in order to help tackling climate change on a personal level.
I know you've certainly heard most of this already, but what keeps me up at night, is that we live in a cognitive dissonance: we all know climate change is real, it's right in our faces and we see the changes first hand (record breaking heat waves year after year, a pandemic outbreak, coral reefs dying and glaciers disappearing in front of our eyes, massive forests burning due to extreme droughts, etc...). We all know what we can do about it to help minimize the effects, YET en masse we do not act upon it for various stupid reasons: we see it as a threat to change our lifestyle, a waste of time, or we come up with the lazy and lame excuse that "science will fix it all for us", or we may simply not know how to make effective changes (to make it easier, I've listed most of them above for you in the previous paragraph).
I realize we cannot all be Greta Thunbergs, but in everything we do in life, we have to look at ourselves first and start from within, before preaching to the choir. You'll soon realize you're not perfect yourself. He who is without sin, cast the first stone... I am far from perfect. We're all on this Journey to Zero-Waste together. Every little change you are able to make for a smaller (CO2) footprint is good, so focus on the positives, not on the negatives (unless they're carbon negatives)! And above all, don't get offended if someone points out to you where you can do a better job. Be accepting of the positive critique you may receive and see it as a learning experience that helps you grow in becoming a contributor to a better world. If you posses knowledge, speak up and use your voice. The science is there, let's not ignore it, but embrace it.
Lastly - and this is a big one - time is of the essence, so urgency is key. As Barack Obama so eloquently stated: "We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it."
Now read that damn report, or wake up, inform yourself, and if you already know what to do... then ACT! If we all do our part, I am convinced there is still hope.
Rant out. Peace, Harry. X
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews