College Park, MD, March 20, 2023—Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Sixth Assessment IPCC Synthesis Report, based on the three Working Groups Assessment Reports and the three Special Reports from the Sixth Assessment cycle. This report reiterates the importance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and emphasizes the need for deep, rapid, and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions in all sectors to keep this goal alive.
Last year, the IPCC released Working Group III’s contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, which included seven CGS researchers who each imparted their knowledge and expertise into this report and its critical findings—James ‘Jae’ Edmonds, Ryna Cui, Gokul Iyer, Leon Clarke, Michael Westphal, Steven Smith, and Kavita Surana. Notably, the report also cited over 60 of the team's publications and reports.
“Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change presents the most up-to-date climate research from an incredibly comprehensive set of global experts, and I am proud to be just one of the 345 contributing authors,” said CGS Research Director Ryna Cui last year on the new IPCC report. “The science is clear that the transition from fossil to clean energy needs to happen at a faster pace, and more research has started to focus on developing feasible and actionable strategies to achieve an accelerated and just transition in different country contexts.”
To keep 1.5°C within reach and inform the first Global Stocktake which ends at COP28, the new IPCC Synthesis report outlines multiple feasible options to achieve emissions reductions. Many of these options can be found in the CGS-led America Is All In analysis, An All-In Path to 2030: The Beyond 50 Scenario, which focuses on how the U.S. can achieve its 2030 climate target and contribute to the international effort to reduce emissions.
Learn more about the Synthesis Report in the IPCC press release and see statements from America Is All In co-chairs below, including CGS Director Nate Hultman, on this critical analysis.
- - -
AMERICA IS ALL IN CO-CHAIRS STATEMENT ON THE IPCC SYNTHESIS REPORT
The evidence is clear: the time for action is now. We can halve emissions by 2030.
March 20, 2023 – As the chapters of IPCC Sixth Assessment Report were released over the course of last year, it was clear that the damage from climate change is affecting us sooner and on a greater scale than we knew. Today’s findings in the IPCC Synthesis Report for its Sixth Assessment, which draws from previous released material, shows how close we are to losing the window in which we can effectively limit warming to 1.5°C, a critical benchmark in our fight against climate change. While the narrow window to limit warming to 1.5°C has not yet closed, it is growing ever narrower.
Fortunately, the report also provides a roadmap for us to make a rapid transition with accelerated actions from nations, states, cities, businesses, and civil society. Today’s findings reinforce many of the policy solutions outlined in An All-In Path to 2030: The Beyond 50 Scenario, America Is All In’s analysis that shows how an all-of-society climate strategy can enable the United States to meet its 2030 climate target.
Following the release of today’s report, America Is All In Co-Chairs issued the following statements:
Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said: "The latest IPCC report makes clear that while the battle against climate change is still winnable, time is running short. Bloomberg Philanthropies is working to help cities around the world take ambitious steps to cut emissions, but reaching our climate goals will take all of us—from local and state leaders, businesses, and national governments—going all in and coming together to find ways to do more, faster.”
Washington Governor Jay Inslee said: “We don’t have time to agonize or despair. We must focus on mobilizing every part of our economy in the net-zero transition. State-level leadership in the United States is critical to the implementation of international and national policies. States must seize that leadership role now to make the most of historic climate investments such as the Inflation Reduction Act, while continuing the push to go even further, faster.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said: “This IPCC report clearly shows the widespread disruption that climate change is causing to ecosystems and livelihoods around the globe. It also outlines that when cities reduce their overall emissions, there are significant, cascading benefits that extend beyond city boundaries. By increasing investments in our facilities, infrastructure and transit, we have the opportunity to change direction and move our region toward a robust, sustainable economy powered by clean energy.”
In addition, Nathan Hultman, Director of the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland and author of the An All-In Path to 2030: The Beyond 50 Scenario study, said: “In 2021, the U.S. set an ambitious climate target to achieve 50-52% emissions reductions by 2030. But today’s report is clear: we need to do more. And we can do more with additional actions from federal, state, city, and local governments. Our analysis shows that an all-of-society strategy that combines the transformational steps in recent federal legislation with federal regulatory actions, plus expanded leadership from states, cities, businesses, and others can get us beyond our goal.”
###
About America Is All In
America Is All In is the most expansive coalition of leaders ever assembled in support of climate action in the United States. Mobilizing thousands of U.S. cities, states, tribal nations, businesses, schools, and faith, health, and cultural institutions, the coalition is focused on pushing and partnering with the federal government to develop an ambitious, all-in national climate strategy that meets the urgency of the climate crisis; scaling climate action around the country to accelerate the transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy; and promoting the leadership of non-federal actors on the world stage.
Led by the U.N. Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions Michael R. Bloomberg, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, America Is All In is driving a nationwide movement to cut U.S. emissions in half or more by 2030 from 2005 levels and reach net zero emissions by 2050, while guarding against the impacts of climate disruption. Alongside whole-of-government action on climate, America Is All In champions a whole-of-society mobilization to deliver the transformational change that science demands, with the goal of a healthy, prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future. To learn more or get involved, visit www.americaisallin.com and follow us on Twitter.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
