Incheon, Korea, 1 October 2018 – In a year marked by protests demanding an end to fossil fuels amid successive extreme weather disasters, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on 1.5 degrees Celsius must finally spark governments into action to avoid climate catastrophe.
The IPCC report, to be published on October 8 in Incheon, Korea, will outline what the Paris Climate Agreement’s global warming limit means when turned into action – and what exceeding it could entail.
Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan said:
“From the Hambach forest to those seeking climate justice against fossil fuel polluters, the global community is fed up with inaction on climate change. The tragedy of this year’s forest fires, heatwaves and typhoons must galvanise our resolve to end the fossil fuel age. The leaders who stand up, listen to the science and take action are the ones who will be remembered as the moral authorities of their time.
“This IPCC report is our moment of truth. People are hurt and demanding action. Governments and industry have for too long wasted time on talk and finger pointing. The time is up. We are on the edge and the climate impacts that scientists warned us about decades ago are here. This is our new reality.
“But there is hope. This IPCC report will make clear the choices and the trade-offs. For decision makers around the world, it is now their responsibility to listen and step up with real climate leadership. The IPCC will reveal the pathways that lie ahead of us. The question is: which one will we choose?”
The authoritative IPCC report will feed into the discussions on how to substantially accelerate countries’ climate action beyond their current commitments – with decisions expected from ministers at the UN climate conference in Poland in December.
The report is expected to outline strong messages on the speed at which governments and corporations would need to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, protect and restore forests, and transform our food systems and build resilience to meet the Paris goals.
A Greenpeace delegation will be attending the IPCC report approval meeting at Incheon, Korea on 1-8 October as an official observer, and will have a team of experts available for comments.
For more information:
Greenpeace International’s preview media briefing on the IPCC report, here.
Official IPCC leaflet of the 1.5°C report, here.
Images:
Images and videos showing impacts of climate change are available here.
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Contact:
Maria Elena De Matteo, Global Communications Strategist, Greenpeace East Asia, [email protected], phone: +82-10 6829 0949
Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)