Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, responds to the IPCC report on Global Warming of 1.5°C.
"The time to act is now. Failing to move quickly and seriously will have catastrophic consequences for the climate and humanity – consequences which are no longer abstract but are playing out across the world right now.
This IPCC report calls for action not just from nations, but from businesses, state and regional governments and cities – precisely because the scale and pace required to limit warming to 1.5°C is unprecedented.
The path to decarbonizing the economy has already begun. What we need to see now is the mobilization of businesses and sub-national governments to act faster, with more ambition and urgency than ever before.
We need to leave coal, oil and gas in the ground, and rapidly invest in renewable energy. We need to see energy used in smarter ways. We need to oversee the end of the internal combustion engine, sooner than we envisioned.
The businesses and governments The Climate Group works with, who are leading the charge on the clean economy, recognise that there is a lot to gain in picking up the pace – and even more to lose if we don’t."
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The Climate Group is hosting a breakfast event on the IPCC's Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C next week as part of Green GB Week. 'Global Warming of 1.5oC: The Implications for Business and Government' will take place on Monday 15 October 2018, with discussion from Dr Emily Shuckburgh, British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
The event will bring together senior representatives from sub-national governments, corporates and NGOs, and is invitation only. Request details.