The message from the IPCC report

Source: The Hindu, Livemint

Relevance: Fighting the climate-change crisis

Synopsis: In light of the recent IPCC 6^th Assessment Report, measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the ways to prevent further damage to our environment are discussed.

What needs to be done?

• Focusing on definite cumulative emission targets, keeping equity and historical responsibility in view
• Immediate emission reductions by the developed countries with phase-out dates for all fossil fuels
• Massive investment in new technologies and their deployment
• A serious push to the mobilization of adequate climate finance
• Put all energy use on the electricity grid, and then decarbonize the sources. This means that nuclear and renewable sources of energy will have to rise dramatically, while the internal combustion engine gives way to the electrical motors for transportation.

India’s options

The IPCC report’s warnings for India are particularly dire. Hence, for India, faster carbon reduction is no longer an option. Moreover, the impact of global warming will fall disproportionately on the less well-off in India. But an accelerated path to carbon neutrality requires significant investments. The only way forward is the following:

• A combination of restraint and efficiency on one hand, combined with low-cost green innovation on the other
• Immediate steps in terms of adaptation and resilience to extreme weather events—heatwaves and pluvial floods, for instance.
• Afforestation, switching to electric vehicles and renewable energy must accelerate

Terms to know:

• Equilibrium climate sensitivity