We have the tech, know-how and money to tackle climate change now: IPCC head [Gas in Transition]
We have the tech, know-how and money to tackle climate change now: IPCC head [Gas in Transition]
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Natural Gas News
We have the tech, know-how and money to tackle climate change now: IPCC head [Gas in Transition]
Summary
There are many gaps between the action being taken and the action that is required, Professor Jim Skea warned. by: Charles Ellinas
The world has the technology, know-how and money to tackle climate change, but not enough is being done to put them to use, Professor Jim Skea, chairman of the UN InterGovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has warned. This is based on an interview with Skea at the International Energy Week (IEWeek) conference at the end of February in London, updated to reflect his more recent views focusing on climate change and adaptation. IEWeek covered energy and climate, with emphasis on energy transition, energy demand issues, methane, CCS, energy sector challenges and the need for new technology and infrastructure. The world is warming. Emissions are going up. The magnitude of the risks posed by climate change is increasing and is real. But there are s...
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”