IPCC AR6 Working Group III Mitigation of Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) released the third instalment of the 6^th Assessment Report – Working Group III’s contribution on 4 April 2022. This report is nearly 3000 pages.

Talking about the IPCC AR6 Working Group III report findings, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says that the report revealed “a litany of broken climate promises” by governments and businesses.”

Jordans & Borenstein (2022) shared what Guterres said further:

• “It is a file of shame, cataloging the empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unlivable world.”
• To keep the 1.5-degree limit agreed in Paris within reach, we need to cut global emissions by 45 per cent this decade,” said Guterres. “But current climate pledges would mean a 14 per cent increase in emissions,” he added.
• “We are on a pathway to global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree limit agreed in Paris.”
• “Some government and business leaders are saying one thing – but doing another.”
• “Simply put, they are lying,” he added. “And the results will be catastrophic.”

The IPCC 6^th assessment report consists of the contribution from the three working groups:

• Working Group I, published in August 2021, looked at the physical science of the climate system and unequivocally attributed the unprecedented changes to the climate to human actions.
• Released in February 2022, the Working Group II report focuses on the impacts of climate change and how we could adapt to it. The report finds that half of the global population is highly vulnerable to climate change effects like coastal inundation, heatwaves, droughts, floods, and rising sea levels.
• The third part of the IPCC AR6, the Working Group III contribution, focuses on climate change mitigation, the solutions necessary to reduce GHG emissions, and the consequences of these actions on land use, economy, and the behavioural changes needed if the world must avoid the disastrous impacts of climate change.

The report finds that governments’ climate policies and actions needed to reach net-zero targets are falling short to meet the Paris Agreement to limit warming by 2°C. Instead, current policies will put the planet on a path of as much as a 3°C temperature rise, a catastrophic level.

Key findings of the AR6 Working Group III report include:

Between 2010 to 2019 showed the highest average GHG emissions in human history.

According to the UN panel, almost 40% of historical emissions from the Industrial Revolution from 1850 to 2019 came from Europe and North America, while East Asia, including China, only accounts for 12%. China became the top emitter beginning mid-2000s replacing the United States.

Unless there are immediate and deep emission cuts across all sectors, the world will exceed the 1.5°C thresholds.

But there is evidence that climate action is increasing. Some countries have achieved a steady decrease in emissions consistent with limiting warming to 2°C, and zero emissions targets have been adopted by at least 826 cities and 103 regions.

Falling costs of renewables have contributed to decreased emissions, and some countries have renewable energy predominantly powering their electric grid.

Limiting warming to 1.5°C will entail global GHG emissions peaking before 2050, reduced by 43% by 2030, and methane reduced by 34% by 2030. 

Limiting warming to around 2°C will need GHG emissions to peak before 2025 and be reduced by 27% by 2030.

Reaching the above net-zero targets will result in climate stability.

The report provided options available now in every sector, such as Energy, Land use, Industry, Urban, Buildings, and Transport, that can at least halve emissions by 2030.

Additionally, other strategies such as carbon dioxide removal in the atmosphere, closing investments gaps in financial support to developing countries, government policies, and technology and innovation all have critical roles to play to meet the Paris Agreement and avoid catastrophic climate change impacts.

To read the IPCC AR6 Working Group III, including the Summar for Policymakers, Technical Summary, Full Report, FAQs, and Headline Statements, click the link below:

Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change

The video below features the IPCC AR6 Working Group III contribution.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/