Ireland and the European Union must accelerate our actions to effectively respond to climate breakdown, say Irish Green MEPs Ciarán Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan. The comments were made in reaction to the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report published today, March 20. This report sounds the Panel’s final warning on the impacts of global heating of more than 1.5°C, and sets out a guide for world leaders on how to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change and avoid further heating. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described it as “a how-to guide to defuse the climate time-bomb.” The report finds emissions must be cut by at least 48% by 2030 to avoid ‘catastrophic levels of global warming’.

Ciarán Cuffe, Green MEP for Dublin, said: “This report provides the definitive response to politicians who say that now is not the time for climate action. Science has set a seven-year deadline to cut emissions in half, and we cannot afford to miss it. This report also quite rightly places an emphasis on fairness. Every increment of warming on the road to 1.5°C has a devastating impact, and this impact will be felt most acutely in developing countries. Between 2010 and 2020, death rates from floods, droughts and storms were 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions. We need to close the climate investment gap, and deliver higher up-front investments with more favourable conditions to countries that need it most. These investments will also significantly lower costs in the long-term.”

Grace O’Sullivan, MEP for Ireland South, said: “With this final report from the IPCC, the scientific community gives us all the guidance we need to make the right decisions to secure a liveable future on this planet. It requires a complete system change worldwide and an end to the insane practice of subsidising activities which are essentially killing us. By the time the next report comes out  in 2030, we will know if we have failed or succeeded. There is no longer any excuse for politicians and leaders who say this is not the time for action.”

The IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report published today is the culmination of six major reports released by the IPCC since 2018. In the report, climate scientists highlight “multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change”, that are all available now. For more information, the IPCC press release and AR6 Synthesis Report summary for policymakers are available to read here.