If you were to tune into the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest presser for its third report—this time focused on climate change mitigation—the words of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres would shock you. “The jury has reached a verdict and it is damning,”Guterres began in a video message on Monday. “This report of the IPCC is a litany of broken climate promises. It is a file of shame cataloging the empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unlivable world.” Guterres lists some of the consequences of staying the course and calls out governments and major industries still toeing the fossil fuel line to the tune of emissions actually rising 14% according to the U.N. head.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Guterres said. “This report is factored on mitigation, cutting emissions. It sets out viable, financially sound options in every sector.” There is a point of no return, of course, but there’s still time to implement some of the mitigation techniques listed in the report that do the most to reduce emissions, such as major transfers towards renewables and adopting circular manufacturing procedures, some of which are already past the stage of initial development and that the IPCC has a high level of confidence could prove game-changing for high pollution sectors like building materials and metals.