In Light of Alarming New IPCC Report, Voters Are Ready for Government Action
By Celina Scott-Buechler
It is common knowledge that climate change is devastating communities across the globe and is only getting worse over time. Last week, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report synthesizing the findings of tens of thousands of scientific studies on climate impacts. The authors concluded that not only is climate change detrimental to life as we know it, its impacts are already more severe than scientists previously projected. Some of these impacts are likely irreversible at this point, including disruptions to vulnerable ecosystems and accelerating species extinctions. Alarming atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations have already baked in future climate change, and countries will need to double down on their current efforts to boost climate resilience.
The most important point this report makes is that it’s not too late to act on climate. Aggressive actions in the near term can keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, as nations agreed to do in the Paris Climate Agreement. Decarbonizing our electrical grids, switching to electric vehicles (EVs), and restoring natural lands might not save the most vulnerable ecosystems, but they are necessary to prevent devastating, climate-driven weather extremes that threaten food systems, human security, and biodiversity. In short, now is the most critical time to act on climate change.
A few specific highlights from the report:
Global warming has reached 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and has already led to “widespread, pervasive impacts to ecosystems, people, settlements, and infrastructure.” However, most nations have already made progress across sectors to adapt to climate change, especially to water-related risks and impacts.
Half of global species have had to move toward Earth’s poles, or up in elevation, to escape harsh conditions. However, conservation, protection, and restoration of ecosystems, along with measures to boost their climate resilience, are effective solutions being implemented in many parts of the world.
Glacial melt is approaching the point at which it will be irreversible, but has not yet reached it. Reaching this tipping point would not only contribute to sea level rise, but also release large amounts of frozen methane (an extremely powerful greenhouse gas) and reduce the Earth’s albedo — its ability to reflect the sun’s warmth back into space. Immediate and aggressive climate action could keep us from reaching this tipping point.
Between 3.3 billion and 3.6 billion people are at especially high risk of climate impacts because of their socioeconomic status, ocean and land use practices, economic and political inequity, and histories of colonialism. Especially in vulnerable areas, humanitarian crises like mass migration and violent conflict are increasing under climate change, and are expected to worsen yet. However, social protection programs and social safety nets have been shown to help buffer vulnerable populations from climate change impacts while also advancing education, poverty alleviation, gender inclusion, and food security.
Changes in weather patterns have already increased food and water insecurity, especially for vulnerable populations, and negatively affected people’s health. However, existing solutions like agroecology and ecosystem-based management of fisheries and aquaculture are already starting to help combat these effects.
The global economy has already suffered under climate change, through disaster response, water insecurity, drought, and other changes to resource availability and reliability. These economic damages pale in comparison with what might happen under runaway climate change, however, including catastrophic effects on infrastructure, food production, and livelihoods.
When asked about changes to infrastructure in light of the IPCC report, an overwhelming majority (81 percent) of voters, including 89 percent of Democrats, 83 percent of Independents, and 73 percent of Republicans, said they would support government investments to increase the climate resilience of our buildings, roads, bridges, and other structures, according to recent Data for Progress polling. President Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) agenda would go a long way toward filling funding gaps for climate-resilient infrastructure. It is therefore critical that centrist Senate Democrats act on the will of American voters and rise to the challenge of passing legislation that advances the BBB agenda before the midterm elections.
The latest IPCC report is a powerful reminder of the risks society faces under unmitigated climate change, and the impacts we are already experiencing. The report also offers a lot of hope: The solutions we need to combat this challenge already exist, and are increasingly being implemented around the world. Countries across the globe are beginning to adapt to the impacts of climate change, building more resilient towns and cities, and mitigating future warming — all while advocating for the need to increase mitigation efforts in vulnerable and marginalized areas. Acting immediately and aggressively on climate change is a moral imperative, and while there’s still a long way to go, legislators must uphold the political will of their constituents and take meaningful action.
Celina Scott-Buechler (@cescobu) is a senior resident fellow at Data for Progress.