IPCC Latest Report on Climate Change: Key Findings

The IPCC Working Group III report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of climate change was released on April 4, 2022. It is the third instalment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which will be completed in 2022.

According to the World Resources Institute, the following are six key findings from the IPCC’s report on climate change mitigation: 

1. Global GHG emissions have continued to rise, but in pathways that limit warming to 1.5 degrees C, they peak before 2025.  

While there are some signs of progress — the annual rate of GHG emissions growth declined from an average of 2.1% between 2000 and 2009 to 1.3% between 2010 and 2019, and 24 countries have sustained their GHG emissions reductions for over a decade — global efforts to mitigate climate change remain far off-track.

2. There's no room for building new fossil fuel infrastructure.

The IPCC shows that in pathways that limit warming to 1.5 degrees C (with no or limited overshoot), just a net 510 Gt of CO₂ can still be emitted before CO₂ emissions reach net zero around mid-century (2050-2055). Yet future CO₂ emissions from existing and planned fossil fuel infrastructure alone could reach 850 Gt — 340 Gt more than that limit.

A mix of strategies can help avoid locking in these CO₂ emissions, including retiring existing fossil fuel infrastructure, cancelling new projects, retrofitting fossil-fueled power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, and switching to lower-carbon fuels.

3. We need rapid transformations across all systems to avoid the worst climate impacts. 

GHG emissions have risen across all major systems since last assessed. The IPCC finds that reversing course will require decision-makers in government, civil society and the private sector to prioritize the following actions, many of which pay for themselves or cost less than $20 per tonne of CO₂e:

• Scale up clean energy.
• Double-down on innovation to decarbonize industry.
• Incentivize green buildings.
• Redesign cities and shift to zero- and low-carbon transport. 
• Conserve ecosystems and improve food systems.

4. Changes in lifestyle and behaviors have a significant role to play in mitigating climate change.

Worldwide, households with incomes in the top decile, which includes a large share of households in developed countries, are responsible for 36-45% of total GHG emissions, while families earning in the bottom 50% account for just 13-15%. Achieving universal access to modern energy for the world’s poorest, the IPCC further finds, would not significantly impact global emissions.

But shifting consumption patterns, particularly among the world’s wealthiest, can slash GHG emissions by 40-70% by 2050 when compared with current climate policies. Walking or cycling, avoiding long-haul flights, shifting to plant-based diets, cutting food waste, and using energy more efficiently in buildings are among the most effective demand-side mitigation options.

5. Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C will be impossible without carbon removal. 

The IPCC found that all pathways that limit warming to 1.5 degrees C (with no or limited overshoot) depend on carbon removal. These approaches can include both natural solutions, such as sequestering and storing carbon in trees and soil, as well as technologies that pull CO₂ directly out of the atmosphere.

6. Climate finance for mitigation must be 3 to 6 times higher by 2030 to limit warming to below 2 degrees C. 

Annual public and private finance for climate change mitigation and adaptation rose by up to 60% from 2013 to 2020. However, these gains have slowed in recent years, and to make matters worse, the IPCC found that finance for fossil fuels still outstrips funding for climate action.

This misalignment of global capital has resulted in a substantial shortfall between current levels of climate finance and those needed to mitigate climate change, which persists across all regions and all sectors. This gap is widest in developing countries, particularly those already struggling with debt, poor credit ratings and economic burdens from the COVID-19 pandemic. Investors’ tendency to channel greater shares of capital into their own countries, as well as the systemic underpricing of climate risks, pose additional challenges for scaling up private finance across these nations.

Where Do We Go from Here?

As this latest IPCC report makes clear, holding global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C is still possible, but only if we act immediately. The world needs to peak GHG emissions before 2025, nearly halve GHG emissions by 2030, and reach net-zero CO₂ emissions around mid-century, while also ensuring a just and equitable transition. With escalating risks from droughts, floods, wildfires and other disastrous effects of climate change, these are deadlines we simply cannot afford to miss.