Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, mainly in the world’s wealthiest countries. If we are to meet the Paris Agreement’s target of keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, we will therefore need to enact a major reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, such as by replacing fossil fuels with green energy, according to the UN Climate Panel’s Working Group III Contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report. The report focuses on the opportunities that exist for limiting the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases and tackling climate change.
It points to several solutions. Among other things, there is a need to transform energy systems to rely more on solar and wind power, use energy more efficiently and deploy new green technologies to remove CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere. Fortunately, the report establishes that these green solutions are already a profitable investment in many places around the world.
“We emit more greenhouse gases than the Earth can sustain, which is why we have an enormous obligation to make a major push towards the green transition and demonstrate that this crisis can be solved. Fortunately, Denmark has been investing in the very tools that the IPCC believes to be part of the solution for many years. We get green electricity from our wind turbines and solar panels, and we are also world leaders in energy efficiency. We have similar ambitions for the capture and storage of CO2. The report shows that the green path is the right one, which is why I also allow myself to be optimistic,” said Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s Minister for Climate.
The report is the third part of the Sixth Assessment Report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The first contribution from Working Group I was published in August last year and covered the extent of climate change and temperature rises, while the second contribution from Working Group II dealt with the consequences of climate change and the need for climate adaptation.
The third contribution to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report can be found here.
FACTS
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the UN’s specialised agencies for meteorology (WMO) and the environment (UNEP) in 1988
- Every 7-8 years, the IPCC publishes a summary of scientific literature on climate research and knowledge on climate change. Researchers from around the world contribute to the reports.
- The panel’s Sixth Assessment Report is divided into three reports (‘working group contributions’) and a final Synthesis Report, due to be published this autumn.
- The first contribution was published in August last year and contained a review of the state of the climate, while the second contribution was published in February last year and focused on the consequences of climate change and opportunities for adaptation.
- The third contribution provides an overview of the possibilities for limiting emissions of greenhouse gases and points to technological solutions that help do so.
CONTACT
Media Enquiries: Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities +45 41 72 38 05