Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the third part of its Sixth Assessment Report.
In this latest report, the IPCC emphasized that emissions must be dramatically reduced within this decade and decline to net-zero by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. “If we are to make the Paris Agreement mean anything at all then we must work together,” states Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG. “This means everyone from individuals, businesses, governments, and other parts of civil society have to commit to a transformative shift in the global economy as we know it.”
“This calamity also provides the world with an enormous opportunity to rewrite the future as green and equitable and take advantage of the most dramatic change since the Industrial Revolution which the green economy will dwarf,” notes Rogers, “It is a cautionary tale, however, and those countries and businesses who don’t invest, who don’t commit research and development funding, who don’t create certainty in the global economic system, who don’t educate their citizens, and who don’t create a fair and transparent system for growing the green economy – will be left out.”
Back in February when the last IPCC report was issued, Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG noted that “a dire and drastic transformation” is needed but we are moving much too slowly.” With only 18 days from Earth Day on April 22, EDO is calling on citizens of the world to stop being spectators, watching their futures be threatened by our collective inaction, and Investing in Our Planet.
“It’s as if many of us have lost hope but now is the time to truly see our potential to change history. Change has never been easy but it takes just a committed effort from a few to create the tipping point necessary,” adds Rogers. “The solutions are out there and we know what must be done whether it’s transitioning to renewable energy, conserving our forests and lands, or ridding ourselves of the scourge of plastic pollution.”
