The Washington Post reported: “At a meeting in Berlin, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Sunday released a report that found that nations still have a chance to fulfill the goal but must aggressively turn away from relying largely on fossil fuels such as coal for energy and replace them with cleaner energy sources such as solar and wind power. To reach their target of 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius) over preindustrial levels, nations must work together to lower emissions ‘by 40 to 70 percent’ of what they were in 2010, the report said.”

MICHAEL DORSEY, mkdorsey at professordorsey.com, @GreenHejira
Dorsey is the interim director of the energy and environment program at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and former director of Dartmouth’s Climate Justice Research Project. He said today, “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report summarizes the best available science on current and expected impacts of climate change from increased concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The new IPCC report shows that work to limit climate change must begin now. The costs of avoiding disruptive climate changes are likely to be high and the already disadvantaged will continue to suffer the most. If governments take steps to reduce carbon pollution rapidly and immediately, the overall economic damage could be halved. The IPCC report confirms that climate change is happening and that no continent, country, or region is immune from this unfolding climate catastrophe.”

JANET REDMAN, (508) 340-0464, janet at ips-dc.org
Redman is director of the Climate Policy Program at the Institute for Policy Studies. She said today, “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report find definitively that greenhouse gas emissions are rising, and our addiction to fossil fuels is to blame.

“Climate pollution has not only continued to increase, but has done so more rapidly in the last 10 years than was previously thought. It’s more critical than ever that we divest from the fossil fuel industry, and invest in 100% clean, renewable energy for all.”

OSCAR REYES, 34 644-139-190, oscar at ips-dc.org, @_oscar_reyes
Reyes is an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. He added, “The big picture here is that economic growth at all costs is already threatening people’s lives and livelihoods… Climate change is here, now, and real, with millions of people already feeling the impacts of a warming world.

“World leaders — especially those from developed countries with the most resources at their disposal — are gambling with our future every day as they continue to support dirty energy and refuse to take serious action on climate change.”