IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has published its Synthesis Report for 2022 dealing with how climate change can be limited so that the 1.5 degree target is still achievable. The IPCC lists concrete measures such as phasing out fossil fuels. Commentators discuss such steps in light of the current situation with the war in Ukraine.
Climate protection back at the top of the agenda
The report is sobering but still gives cause for hope, finds Le Temps:
“Because the experts of the IPCC have not left us empty-handed. Their report points out potential solutions for taking the 'right' path: renewable energies, renovation of buildings, transition to eating less meat, social and climate justice, etc. ... One event indirectly puts climate protection back at the centre of our reflections: the war in Ukraine. The gas embargo against Russia and the faltering Ukrainian wheat exports are highlighting our societies' lack of resilience in the face of instability. This is the time to resume the discussion on climate protection measures.”
An added bonus
Especially under the current difficult conditions, climate protection needs a consistent approach, Dagens Nyheter stresses:
“The international situation has deteriorated dramatically since the Paris Agreement of 2015. ... This also makes cooperation on climate protection more difficult, but it doesn't mean that the shift [to climate-friendly and -neutral processes] has become less important - on the contrary. By 2030 there must be a sharp drop in emissions. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? The IPCC is convinced: we have the tools to make the transition. The cost of climate-friendly technology has dropped by 85 percent since 2010. ... Those who forge ahead may even gain competitive advantages. And an added bonus: you make yourself independent of oil and gas from Putin and other dictators.”