‘On thin ice’: United Nation’s grim warning over climate change

UN Secretary-general calls on wealthy G20 countries to bring forward carbon neutral goals to 2040 ‘to defuse climate time bomb’.

UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres called on wealthy G20 countries to urgently bring forward carbon neutral goals by a decade to 2040 to “defuse the climate time bomb.”

Mr Guterres warned: “Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” during the release of a bleak and final Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report which he called “a survival guide for humanity.”

In a fresh plea Mr Guterres called for OECD governments to phase out coal by 2030 and for poorer countries by 2040.

And in a new target, he urged countries to have carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas or coal-fired power plants and a halting of all new fossil fuel exploration.

Mr Guterres said all countries had to make a quantum leap in climate action to limit average temperature increases to 1.5C, acknowledging: “It starts with parties immediately hitting the fast-forward button on their net zero deadlines”.

He said rich G20 countries, of which Australia is a member, should aim for carbon neutrality as close to 2040 as possible. He added that emerging economies, which includes China, must aim for net zero by 2050.

China has a net zero goal for 2060, while India’s goal is even further away, at 2070.

“This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every time frame,’’ he said.

“Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”

The landmark IPCC “Synthesis” report brings together the latest scientific advice and was agreed after governments reviewed the documents in Interlaken, Switzerland over the past week. The report says a cut in carbon emissions has to be more extreme than the current plans because of continuing rising emissions, to ensure a “liveable and sustainable future”.

“The pace and scale of what has been done so far, and current plans, are insufficient to tackle climate change,’’ the report says, adding that keeping warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels requires deep, rapid and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions in all sectors. “Emissions should be decreasing by now and will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C.”

As well the report notes that cash for developing countries to help them reduce emissions must be increased six times above current levels to keep climate change to the 1.5C target.

IPCC chairman Hoesung Lee said multiple, feasible and effective options are available now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. The report notes changes in the food sector, electricity, transport, industry, buildings and land-use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as encouraging low carbon lifestyles and people having a better understanding of the consequences of overconsumption.

IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee said “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.

“Transformational changes are more likely to succeed where there is trust, where everyone works together to prioritise risk reduction, and where benefits and burdens are shared equitably.

“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.”