COP28 Presidency reiterates call for transformative action following IPCC report

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the urgent need for ambitious and transformative action on climate progress and put the world back on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the COP28 Presidency has said.

“The world’s scientists tell us that we must bring down emissions rapidly to limit global warming and keep 1.5C within reach. While doing so it is our responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable who have done the least to cause climate change are protected against its increasingly severe impacts,” the COP28 Presidency said in a statement, following the publication of the IPCC’s sixth assessment report (AR6) on Monday.

The AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 summarised five years of reports on global temperature rises, emissions and climate impacts, and found that despite progress in policies and legislation around climate mitigation since the previous such report in 2014, it is “likely that warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century”.

'Humanity on thin ice'

The report said that the viability of humanity living within planetary boundaries rests on the actions taken in the next seven years. “The climate time-bomb is ticking,” António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in a statement to mark the launch of the report on Monday. “Humanity is on thin ice – and that ice is melting fast,” he added.

In its statement, the COP28 Presidency also stressed the rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a sustainable future for all.

“COP28, hosted by the UAE, takes place in a crucial decade of action, at which we will undertake the first ever Global Stocktake since the Paris Agreement. The UAE will utilize its COP28 Presidency to drive consensus, reignite momentum for climate progress and deliver a transformational roadmap to guide future action. The IPCC AR6 report provides us with an ideal opportunity to undertake a fundamental course correction and to accelerate climate action that delivers new avenues for investment and growth along with a just transition that leaves no one behind,” the COP28 Presidency said.

Action based on inclusivity and accountability

Highlighting that the international community must unite in promoting bold, ambitious, and practical solutions while prioritising inclusivity, enhanced accountability, and transparency, the COP28 Presidency said that “all stakeholders, particularly big industries must go further and faster” to get the world back on track.

“Such a transformation has the potential to unlock trillions of dollars of investment in a new and sustainable development pathway that can generate jobs and growth. The international financial institutions and multilateral development banks must be part of the solution. They must reform to enable a just energy transition and meet the needs of the most vulnerable, particularly across the global south,” it said, adding: “Let us work together, in solidarity, to deliver a plan that is based on the excellent work of the IPCC and is accelerated by truly global cooperation.”

The AR6 report underscored opportunities in the clean energy sector by listing some of the affordable solutions already available to limit warming to 1.5°C.

Around 20 countries have proven that it’s possible to reduce emissions, and clean energy is cheaper than ever before – in the last decade, the cost of solar energy and lithium-ion batteries used for energy storage declined by 85%, while wind energy costs dropped by 55%, the report said. The roll-out of electric vehicles meanwhile has increased 100 fold, it noted.