In 20th of March, 2023 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its latest report, the 6th Assessment Report (AR6), which provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of the climate and the impact of human activities on the environment. The report highlights the urgent need for immediate action to combat climate change in vulnerable parts of the world, including the EECCA region.
The Sixth Assessment Report, the so-called Synthesis Report, will form the basis for political action to combat climate change. It also consolidates and summarizes the findings of previous reports published by the IPCC during the current cycle, which began in 2015. IPCC experts have previously warned that human-induced climate change is observed in all regions of the planet, and this process is becoming more intense, and some of the emerging trends are already irreversible.
The IPCC report, which is based on the latest scientific research from around the world, shows that climate change is happening at an unprecedented rate and that human activities, notably the burning of fossil fuels, are the primary cause of this change. The report also highlights the risks and impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, more frequent and intense heat waves, and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.
Culminating with this Synthesis Report, the science from the IPCC is crucial evidence to governments on the state of the climate crisis in this critical decade and must serve as a warning to polluters that their time is up. The window of time to keep global temperatures below 1.5ºC is fast closing. Current collective climate targets put the world on a 2.8ºC pathway by 2100.
A rapid and equitable fossil fuel phase-out plan must be the top priority for all governments while massively scaling up investments in renewables and energy efficiency measures, with wealthy nations substantially increasing their fair share of international climate finance.
Comments from experts are bellow:
Olha Boiko, CAN EECCA Coordinator
“The new IPCC report brings us unique insights from subject matter scientists with up-to-date data on the state of the climate. At the same time, we already have all the necessary technological capabilities for a green energy transition. So why are we seeing a gradual worsening of the climate crisis year after year? Obviously, scientific data and technology are not enough. Control mechanisms are needed at the local and national levels. Who will be responsible if the next energy strategy is not implemented? This control function should be performed by civil society. Where it is most oppressed, there is no progress in climate and energy policy. The second issue is finance. Rich countries should effectively help those who need it with their resources. It is up to our generation to answer the question of whether we will allow more natural disasters, deaths and wars financed by fossil fuels. There is no one else to do this for us”.
Nino Chkhobadze, Chairman of the Green Movement of Georgia / Friends of the Earth Georgia
“The new report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) once again confirms the need for urgent concrete action by all states. It is necessary to carry out changes and revision in the energy policy of states in the direction of a phased reduction in the use of fossil fuels.
It should also be noted that the measures and commitments that countries have taken and come from the Paris Agreement are not enough to stop the irreversible changes and consequences of the climate crisis. Countries must make more ambitious, clear commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is important to pursue an effective policy for the introduction of new energy-saving technologies, and for their speedy introduction into the economy of states, the removal of bureaucratic pressure until 2050.
There needs to be clear advocacy and lobbying by the public in their governments to create a clear policy by states on adaptation measures to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis.”
Anna Kirilenko, Global Forest Coalition, BIOM Ecological Movement, Kyrgyzstan
“Today, we are witnessing a large number of disturbing discussions around the topic of climate change. We are waiting for the release of an important document: the “AR6: Climate Change Synthesis Report”, arguing about whether climate change can be stopped and by what efforts, whether the goals of 1.5 or 2 degrees are achievable, and much more. But, let’s look at the «root of the question» — what creates and regulates the climate? This is a natural, living biota that has maintained the conditions necessary for life for millions of years, including the climate. For biota, there is no problem of carbon dioxide, it can compensate for any deviation from the norm over a period of about ten years. But the problem is that the natural biota, the «factories of life» is becoming less and less. There is no one to regulate the climate. That is why today it is important to focus, and the report talks about this, on the urgent implementation of integrated solutions, reducing the burden on the environment, switching to renewable energy sources and, of course, preserving the remaining intact ecosystems, because they are the guarantor of stabilizing the conditions for the existence of life on the planet.”
Ludmila Petrova — Director of the NGO «Angel» Atbasar district, Kazakhstan
“One of the key points of the IPCC report is the adaptation of local communities to climate change, which are particularly vulnerable and do not understand all global processes. Floods, steppe and forest fires, lack of drinking water and poor access to sanitation, loss of livestock and reduced crops following drought lead to a deterioration in public health and a decrease in the quality of life in general in many rural regions of Kazakhstan.”
Bulat Yessekin, Kazakhstan, expert and leader in the field of climate change, water resources, and sustainable development
“The report shows that all the efforts-commitments of states will not be able to stop the climate crisis. The time after the Paris Agreement has shown that «business» is not going to change its priorities, simulating the cessation of nature-damaging activities by pseudo-projects such as planting trees or sequestering carbon. And we — the vast majority of the planet — still put our economic interests first, hoping that governments or nature will somehow cope with this. At the same time, it is already obvious to many that reducing and absorbing emissions alone is not enough: urgent and decisive measures are needed to restore natural ecosystems and biodiversity, requiring even more fundamental changes, including basic global and national laws, agreements, and systems based on a short-term, sectoral and resource management. Climate collapse seems inevitable — we all need to prepare for adaptation — survival in a crisis”.
Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Director of Razom We Stand, Ukrainian climate NGO:
“Global fossil fuel addiction must end before it leads us to climate breakdown. Real climate action means a complete and fully enforced embargo on Russian oil and gas and fast deployment of clean energy sources. This telling scientific report makes it clear: for the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement and for peace to be kept alive, immediate bold political and financial action is needed NOW. Government leaders must stop funding the deadly expansion of the fossil fuel industry and urgently work together to accelerate investments in a real clean energy transition. That’s how we defeat existing fossil-fueled dictators like Putin and avoid creating new ones. Dismantling the dominance of the fossil fuel industry will bring peace and justice for climate and will help to rebuild Ukraine green”.
Stephan Singer, Senior Global Specialist on Climate Science and Energy, CAN International, and Head of Delegation for CAN at IPCC
“The forthcoming IPCC report will present a sobering read on the state of the climate crisis but we know the solutions are on hand. This report should mobilise governments to envision and act towards transitioning into a fully renewable-energy powered society supported by strong energy efficiency measures, based on principles of justice and the protection of human rights. Investing in renewables means rapidly divesting from fossil fuels and nuclear energies and phasing them out by mid-century to ensure the least damaging pathway towards climate stability. The IPCC Synthesis Report must reiterate its recent findings that renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, and energy efficiency measures in all sectors are technologically, financially and economically the primary means to fight climate change.”
Ilyess El Kortbi, Ukrainian Spokesperson and co-organiser, Fridays For Future
“As a Ukrainian climate activist, I have seen firsthand the devastating impacts of fossil fuel dependence on my country and its people. Each year millions of people die from the climate crisis. The latest IPCC report leaves no doubt that we must rapidly and equitably phase out all fossil fuels to keep ourselves on a safe target of 1.5C compared to preindustrial levels. We need to stop relying on unproven, unscalable technologies as a substitute for real solutions. We must divest from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energies to break free from the grip of foreign powers”.
Sviatoslav Zabelin, Goldman prize winner-1993, Socio-ecological international union
“Terrestrial and marine natural ecosystems are the basis for preservation of biological life on Earth. They have existed almost unchanged for millions of years and all this time have supported climate stability, biochemical flows, global water circulation and many other processes, irreplaceable and essential for preservation of life on our planet. Undisturbed natural ecosystems maintain the Earth’s temperature, suitable for human life.
“We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them” ― Albert Einstein. Therefore, it is difficult to hope to solve the climate problem that has arisen due to changes in the composition of the atmosphere by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Humanity should trust the Biosphere to solve this problem, freeing as large territories as possible from its economic influence and even presence”.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications, and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. Since its inception, the IPCC has produced four multi-volume assessment reports.
For more information, please contact
Baktygul Chynybaeva
Communication Manager of CAN EECCA