Climate change report must act as ‘wake-up call’

The latest UN report warning about the catastrophic consequences of climate change must act as a “wake-up call” to take action. That’s the view of the head of The Climate […]

The latest UN report warning about the catastrophic consequences of climate change must act as a “wake-up call” to take action.

That’s the view of the head of The Climate Group, who believes the world needs a “clean industrial revolution”.

Chief Executive Mark Kenber said : “The ‘head in the sand’ approach is a ticket to failure. Businesses that refuse to adapt are sealing their own fate and putting communities and investors at risk. They’re also wantonly squandering the massive opportunities in low carbon growth.

“The only road that leads to both a reduction in carbon emissions and economic growth is one built on a clean industrial revolution. This means investing and innovating now in large scale renewable deployment, energy efficiency, new finance mechanisms and low carbon business models.”

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned the world is not prepared for the potential risks of climate change and that no one will be untouched by the effects.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth added the stark warnings can’t be ignored.

Executive Director Andy Atkins said: “Governments across the world must stand up the oil, gas and coal industries and take their foot of the fossil fuel accelerator that’s speeding us towards a climate disaster.

“If the UK Government wants to show international leadership it must abandon its short-sighted championing of fracking and oil and get fully behind energy efficiency and our home-grown renewable power potential instead.”

The WWF believes the “science is clear and the debate is over”.

Sandeep Chamling Rai, Head of the WWF delegation to the meeting in Japan said: “Climate change is happening and humans are the major cause of emissions, driven mainly by our dependence on fossil fuels. This is driving global warming. This report sets out the impacts we already see, the risks we face in the future and the opportunities to act.

“Now it is up to people to hold their governments to account, to get them to act purposefully and immediately.”

The Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council (GBC) Paul King believes the built environment is on the “front line in both adaptation and mitigation battle – through increased resilience to risks such as flooding and warmer temperatures and because of the huge opportunity for cutting energy use in the construction and property sector, which accounts for a third of global carbon emissions.”

Latest Podcast