S1E76: Don't procrastinate, mitigate: IPCC - Green Pulse

May 1, 2022

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Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.

The world’s top climate science body recently (April 4) released a how-to guide for reducing greenhouse gas emissions fuelling climate change. Turns out, humanity has many tools at its disposal, from greener buildings, to renewable energy to nature-based solutions, such as planting mangroves.

Green solutions can also help nations meet their development goals, says the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group III, which focuses on mitigating, or reducing emissions.

The problem is that the amount of planet-heating emissions, especially from burning fossil fuels, pumped into the air keeps rising and this is pushing up global temperatures. The IPCC makes clear that for global average temperatures to be capped at 1.5 deg C, a key Paris Agreement goal, emissions need to start to fall quickly immediately.

The worrying outlook comes as many nations are scrambling for fossil fuel supplies because of supply shocks.

In this episode, ST environment correspondent Audrey Tan and climate change editor David Fogarty discuss the findings of the report with one of its lead authors, Professor Jim Skea from Imperial College in London. Prof Skea, co-chair of Working Group III, tells us about the solutions at hand, including the likely need for machines that suck CO2 out of the air, and the imperative to start cutting emissions now.

Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):

02:54 What are the key messages in the IPCC’s Working Group III report?

04:43 What will the role of new technology be in reducing emissions?

06:42 Will cutting emissions help advance developmental goals?

12:25 The WGIII report rounds up the IPCC’s sixth assessment report. How should policy makers respond?

Produced by: Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg), David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Eden Soh

Edited by: Eden Soh

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