The Time Is Now. Key takeaways on the latest IPCC Report.
Photo Credit @IPCC Graphics
On March 20th, we were invited to join our friends at New Belgium Brewing as they worked through a pilot project generating input into the design of the Taskforce for Nature-based Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The TNFD is working to develop the reporting guidelines that can be used globally to both assess and mitigate the nature-based impacts from business and industry as it relates to shareholder risk. As part of this exercise we were asked to visualize a world in which we were able to stop climate change, achieving enough consensus in the world to pass policy and embrace best practices that effectively saved the planet from overheating beyond 1.5 C.
Wow. Can you imagine what needs to happen between now and 2030 to achieve this? We have a lot of work ahead.
On that same day, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their new climate report, updating and synthesizing the findings from a series of previous reports. The United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization assembled the IPCC in 1988 to monitor and assess all global science related to climate change. Every IPCC report released has focused on different aspects of climate change, and this most recent report synthesizes those findings to help us understand the threats and what we can do about them.
“Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and damages for nature and people, it will also provide wider benefits,” said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee. “This Synthesis Report underscores the urgency of taking more ambitious action and shows that, if we act now, we can still secure a liveable sustainable future for all.”
While the report minces no words, “The pace and scale of what has been done so far, and current plans, are insufficient to tackle climate change.” It also shines a light on hope — and that we’re all in this together.
“Transformational changes are more likely to succeed where there is trust, where everyone works together to prioritize risk reduction, and where benefits and burdens are shared equitably,” Lee said. “We live in a diverse world in which everyone has different responsibilities and different opportunities to bring about change. Some can do a lot while others will need support to help them manage the change.”
We have the tools, the knowledge and the ability to secure a brighter future for our global community. So how do we get there?
Five takeaways from the report:
Climate justice is vital. “Taking the right action now could result in the transformational change essential for a sustainable, equitable world.” Aditi Mukherji, one of the 93 authors of this Synthesis Report says, “Climate justice is crucial because those who have contributed least to climate change are being disproportionately affected. Almost half of the world’s population lives in regions that are highly vulnerable to climate change. In the last decade, deaths from floods, droughts and storms were 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions.”
Diverse knowledge is key to resilience. “To be effective, these choices need to be rooted in our diverse values, worldviews and knowledges, including scientific knowledge, Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge. This approach will facilitate climate resilient development and allow locally appropriate, socially acceptable solutions.” The report goes on to say, “Cooperation, and inclusive decision making, with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as recognition of inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples, is integral to successful adaptation and mitigation across forests and other ecosystems.”
More accessible financing is needed to scale solutions. “There are tried and tested policy measures that can work to achieve deep emissions reductions and climate resilience if they are scaled up and applied more widely. Political commitment, coordinated policies, international cooperation, ecosystem stewardship and inclusive governance are all important for effective and equitable climate action. If technology, know-how and suitable policy measures are shared, and adequate finance is made available now, every community can reduce or avoid carbon-intensive consumption.”
Impacts are unprecedented, global — and people in every part of the world are feeling it. “In 2018, IPCC highlighted the unprecedented scale of the challenge required to keep warming to 1.5°C. Five years later, that challenge has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions. More than a century of burning fossil fuels as well as unequal and unsustainable energy and land use has led to global warming of 1.1°C (2°F) above pre-industrial levels.” And every increment of warming escalates threats, such as more intense storms, flooding, wildfires, extreme heat and increased food insecurity.
The time is now. The IPCC report concludes with, "There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all."
This IPCC report is yet another reminder that this is our moment. We must rise to the occasion and throw our muscle behind bold solutions.
This is why we at Mighty Arrow are committed to investing the entirety of our fund by 2040. Now is the time to go big. We are answering the call: Investing the entirety of our fund strategically and aggressively gives our partners the support they need now. And as the report makes clear: We have no time to waste and our partners need us to help scale up solutions to build a more resilient future.
But we can’t do it alone. This big beautiful world needs all of us — learning and growing and giving it our all, together. And in the words of our founder, Kim Jordan: “We’re aiming high for the future. It’s daunting, it’s exciting and it's the work of a lifetime. With a heart full of urgency and joy, I invite you to join us.”
Learn more about some of our Mighty Partners making an impact:
What Does an Environmentalist Look Like? The new Colorado Latino Climate Justice Policy Handbook holds a few clues.
The Fate of the Clean Water Act Sits with the Supreme Court—And Mighty Partner Earthjustice Weighs In
Soil health and the Farm Bill: How Aria McLauchlan & Land Core are working toward sustainable food systems