On Monday April 4, 2022, UN climate experts published several scenarios for limiting global warming and its already devastating effects. These recommendations and solutions have been broken down by major sector of activity: energy, transport, industry, agriculture...
Alarming figures
In its 3,000-page report , the IPCC sets out recommendations for curbing global warming so that the planet can remain "liveable". It defines viable options in each sector of activity, with the aim of containing global warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious target of the Paris Agreement.
The latest figures released by the IPCC are alarming. They show that governments plan to double their fossil fuel production by 2030, and that the carbon budget remaining to meet the commitment to limit global warming to 1.5°C will be exceeded by then. Another finding: humanity is emitting 54% more greenhouse gases than 30 years ago, when international climate negotiations were launched.
Faced with this situation, the experts emphasize that "the choices made today by countries will either enable us to meet the 1.5°C commitment or destroy it".
"Now it's time to stop burning our planet and start investing in abundant renewable energy all around us." - @UN SG @antonioguterres at today's press conference for the latest #IPCC #ClimateReport. pic.twitter.com/3ReWfSo2QI
- IPCC (@IPCC_CH) April 4, 2022
Ways to "ensure a livable future
Here are the main changes proposed by the IPCC report to limit global warming.
A cap on greenhouse gas emissions within 3 years
Humanity has less than 3 years to reverse the curve of greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main cause of climate change, and maintain a "liveable" world.
An upward revision of current commitments
According to UN climate experts, the Paris Agreement's most ambitious target is unattainable with current commitments. Government policies are paving the way for global warming of 3.2°C by the end of the century.
A significant reduction in the use of coal, gas and oil by 2030
To meet the initial target, countries will have to drastically reduce their use of fossil fuels. The IPCC estimates that the use of coal, gas and oil should be reduced by 60% or even 70% by 2050, compared with 2019 levels.
Achieving carbon neutrality through renewable energies
Carbon neutrality" must be achieved in every respect, thanks in particular to renewable energies , whose capacity has increased in recent years, but is still underestimated. In total, renewables and low-carbon energies account for 37% of the world's electricity production.
Reduced methane emissions
Methane is a greenhouse gas with a very short lifetime, but it is 21 times more potent than CO2, hence the importance of reducing emissions by more than half by 2050.
Capturing CO2
Achieving carbon neutrality also requires the implementation of carbon dioxide elimination (CDE) techniques.