Last chance for climate action

A warning that urgent action is needed to reduce climate change comes in the wake of a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with prime minister Chris Hipkins defending the Government’s stance – including promoting EV uptake.

The AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 summarises five years of reports on global temperature rises, fossil fuel emissions and climate impacts and shows it’s “likely that warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century”.

“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”

Global warming has already exceeded 1.1 degrees Celsius, but the IPCC says it’s not yet too late provided urgent action is taken.

“This is it; 2023 will be the last opportunity New Zealand has to get a government that will confront the climate emergency with the urgency it demands,” says Green Party co-leader and climate change spokesperson James Shaw.

He warns time is running out and that putting off bold climate action is not an option.

“Anything less than urgent action to cut climate pollution in every part of Aotearoa will not be sufficient.

“Climate action will be on the ballot paper this year.”

Shaw says the October 14 general election will be “one of the most consequential elections we have had in Aotearoa for decades” and he believes having more Green MPs will help tip the climate change balance.

“Scientists are telling us loud and clear that we have only a few years left to take the necessary action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels or face more intense extreme weather,” Shaw explains.

“However, among the dire warnings is an optimistic note that it’s not too late to make a difference.

“That is, if we can build on the progress we have made in government and take action to cut climate pollution faster, then we still have a decent chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate change.”

Shaw’s State of the Planet speech at the weekend included asking political parties that if they want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election they “must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action”.

Shaw is critical of some Government actions to drop or delay several transport-related policies to concentrate on storm repairs and the cost of living.

Meanwhile, Hipkins says individual policies shelved were largely ineffective and costly collectively .

He says there’s a need to look at reducing emissions in a more cost-effective way.

The IPCC report says “the viability of humanity living within planetary boundaries rests on the actions we take in the next seven years”.

“There’s no time to lose to keep to the target of limiting the global average temperature to below 1.5°C.”

The report finds human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the world.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will lead to increasing global warming in the near term, and it’s likely this will reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2035.

To keep within the 1.5°C limit, emissions need to be reduced by at least 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, and at least 60% by 2035.

Among other measures to ensure energy systems are net-zero CO2 emitters, we need a “substantial reduction in overall fossil fuel use, minimal use of unabated fossil fuels, and use of carbon capture and storage in the remaining fossil fuel systems; energy conservation and efficiency; and greater integration across the energy system”.

UN secretary-general António Guterres outlined a major new Acceleration Agenda in his video message to launch the report, which includes ensuring net-zero electricity generation by 2035 for all developed economies and 2040 for the rest of the world, stopping all licensing or funding of new oil and gas and any expansion of existing reserves and shifting subsidies from fossil fuels to a just energy transition.

Solar and wind are helping provide cheaper renewable energy while EVs are expected to reach price parity with internal combustion engines (ICE) in the next two or three years.

Similar breakthroughs are sought in long-haul transport and heavy industry.

The seventh assessment report isn’t expected until at least 2027.