NEWS BRIEFING and EXPERT REACTION: IPCC report on climate change mitigation - Aussie authors speak

I have worked in the IPCC for ten years as a Lead Author and finally as a Co-ordinating Lead Author for Transport in this last report. Its been a privilege, so let me say a few things…

1.    IPCC is a much better way to resolve global issues than warfare. 

2.    Climate change is a wicked global problem and in ten years I have seen huge growth in commitment to addressing it – mostly due to the huge work by the 7,000 or so voluntary scientists involved in IPCC. 

3.    While we roughly knew what to do ten years ago, the past three years have seen a dramatic acceleration in solving this issue as the solutions are mainstreaming:

• Solar and wind are now the cheapest form of energy in the history of the world and have reduced their unit costs by 85 per cent and 55 per cent since 2010;
• Batteries are now available that can cheaply store energy for power and transport and have reduced unit cost by 85 per cent since 2010;
• Electrified transport of all modes is now in showrooms across the world with growth rates globally around 100 per cent in the past year;
• Smart technologies can enable us to link these three together in our cities so that they don’t need fossil fuels.

4.    As these technologies have matured, the fundamental need to reduce car use has also mainstreamed globally, e.g. through better public transport, better bike paths, and urban regeneration.

5.    There is one piece of the climate jigsaw puzzle not yet available: how to make green hydrogen cheap enough to work in agriculture, industry, aviation and shipping. Nevertheless, companies and governments are investing in major trials.

6.    The biggest encouragement to me in the past three years is how the world of global finance has stepped up to integrate the Net Zero Finance requirement into mainstream project planning. 

7.    Households and businesses (small and large) in my own city and state are showing amazing leadership in setting up those combined solar/battery/EV/smart technologies, green hydrogen projects, and ethically providing the critical minerals that enable this transition. 

Of course, this progress is never fast enough as climate change is accelerating and we are in a desperate race to get ahead of the widening climate chasm. State and Federal Government could accelerate their commitments as the changes are now unstoppable and we need to make the most of this new economy. 

Can we make it? Yes, it's not beyond us. As long as we have an IPCC showing us how, through science-based policy. 

The latest IPCC report highlights that our individual choices matter, and can help to accelerate the transition to net zero. Of the 60 actions assessed in this report, on an individual level our largest contributions can come from walking and cycling, using more public transport and electrified transport, reducing air travel, adopting sustainable housing, and shifting towards plant-based diets.

For land-based transport, electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes, powered by low-carbon electricity, are the most viable decarbonisation solution. Governments should provide incentives to supply and use electric scooters, bikes, cars, trucks and buses. This would ensure individuals and businesses have ways to reduce their transport emissions.

A careful balancing act is also required to maximise emissions reduction from renewable energy over the coming decades. Energy-intensive fuels, such as hydrogen and synthetic fuels, need to be strategically used in harder-to-decarbonise segments such as shipping and aviation, to maximise energy-efficiency and minimise costs.  

While government funding is critical for decarbonising transport, this transition also presents significant economic opportunities. Australia could support transport decarbonisation globally through the mining of critical minerals, as well as the manufacturing, reuse and recycling of electric vehicles.

The Working Group III Sixth Assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) lays out modelling that shows that deep and sustained reductions are needed in global greenhouse gas emissions to keep in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. 
 
There has been some progress made over the years, with costs for low-carbon technologies coming down (especially for solar power), a growing concern for climate change, and rising support for the need for climate action across society with youth movements playing a key role. This comes on the back of a growing rise in greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
Regional inequalities still exist, and climate change mitigation needs to sit in line with the global agenda for sustainable development. International corporation with global partnerships bringing together local and state actors and industry sectors can serve as a key enabler for implementing system transformations for limiting global warming.