28 February 2022
Responding to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [1], Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has said:
“This report sounds what should be a deafening alarm bell about the urgency of tackling the climate emergency and, in stark terms, makes clear that the impacts of the climate crisis are greater than many feared.
“With the Red Cross already warning that around two million people a week need humanitarian assistance because of the impacts of climate breakdown, it’s clear that we’re facing not just an environmental crisis, but a humanitarian emergency of monumental proportions.
“One of the most terrifying parts of the report are the impacts of extreme weather which it predicts are already baked in, even if the world succeeds in limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
“That means there must be a ramping up of investment in adaptation, including in the UK where the Government’s own independent advisors say it has long been ‘underfunded and ignored’. When the impacts of the climate emergency are already upon us, adaptation can no longer be left to the side-lines.
“The COP26 Presidency must also ensure that rich countries finally come-good on their existing finance commitments and that new and additional adaptation finance is prioritised for the post-2025 goal.
“Just over 100 days have now passed since the Glasgow Climate Pact was agreed, with its renewed commitment to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees – but we have seen little action. And in the UK, Ministers perversely plan for more domestic oil and gas in response to the global gas crisis.
“The dangers of our addiction to fossil fuels are clear and the Government must stop pouring fuel on the fire to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. This means urgently ruling out future oil and gas licences, delivering a just transition for workers and investing in clean and bountiful renewable energy.
“Crucially this report shows that there is a deep injustice at the heart of the climate emergency. Whilst nowhere is safe from the impacts of the climate crisis, those in the poorest countries will be hardest hit.
“We cannot leave those on the front lines of this crisis to bear its costs alone, and as COP26 President, the UK must heed the call for new finance for loss and damage and do much more to build consensus ahead of COP27. Rich Governments cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this moral issue.”
ENDS
Notes
1
https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/02/28/pr-wgii-ar6/
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