Contact:
Brett Kobie, +32(0)476 97 46 30, bkobie@edf.org
Matthew McGee, +1 (512) 691-3478, mmcgee@edf.org
IPCC Underscores Need to Slash Methane, Deploy Natural Climate Solutions
Environmental Defense Fund statement
(BRUSSELS – Aug. 9, 2021) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change today released its Sixth Assessment Report, which summarizes the current state of Earth’s warming climate while looking ahead to future scenarios with and without effective climate action.
The latest report from top international scientists – which warns that we will likely exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming a decade earlier than expected – should trigger both serious concern and concerted action by policymakers around the world. The report makes clear that if we don’t move aggressively to cut the pollution heating our atmosphere, we are guaranteeing a less stable, less habitable and less prosperous world now and in the future.
Fred Krupp, President Environmental Defense Fund said:
“This report also provides a road map for slowing the rate of warming and protecting our communities from even more instability. For the first time, the IPCC highlights the importance of short-lived, highly potent pollutants such as methane, which alone accounts for at least 25% of the warming we are currently experiencing. The report quashes any remaining debate about the urgent need to slash methane pollution, especially from sectors such as oil and gas, where the available reductions are fastest and cheapest. When it comes to our overheating planet, every fraction of a degree matters – and there is no faster, more achievable way to slow the rate of warming than by cutting human-caused methane emissions.
“As the report makes equally clear, we need to simultaneously amp up efforts to slash carbon dioxide emissions while actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere. This is where protecting and restoring nature can deliver big gains. Natural climate solutions provided by forests, grasslands and wetlands not only draw down carbon and store it underground, but also help clean the air and water, and buffer communities from increased storms, flooding and drought. Best of all, natural climate solutions are available to deploy today and have the potential to provide a significant proportion of the climate mitigation we need between now and 2030.”
Jill Duggan, Executive Director Environmental Defense Fund Europe said:
“This report re-emphasises what so many people are experiencing – that we are already living with dangerous climate change. At COP 26 in November, the world needs to up its commitment to action to match the ambition set out in Paris back in 2015. IPCC have also emphasized the role that methane emissions are playing today – we can reduce some of the warming we are experiencing by cutting methane now.
The EU has set its target to reduce emissions by at least 55% on 1990 levels by the end of this decade. The Commission, Parliament and Council need to show that they will put in place the actions for emissions reductions in both carbon and methane. Europe can help others, particularly in the developing world, to avoid the worst consequences of climate change whilst growing their economies in a sustainable way. The Fit for 55 climate package proposals are a chance for Europe to show real leadership and introduce ambitious new regulatory measures.”
###
One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 2.5 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 23 countries and across the E.U. to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseEuro
Environmental Defense Fund Europe (edfeurope.org) is a registered charity (charity number 1164661) and a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company number 09217493) and in the Netherlands (RSIN 859171814).