Human-induced global warming is happening and has become a global threat that governments across the world are now facing

Pressure to make substantial change has been building on governments from international organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the younger generation in general. The IPCC was founded in 1988 as an advisor to policy makers on climate decisions. It is now in its 6th Assessment Report cycle and has split its reports into four main sections: Working Group I-III and a Synthesis Report.

The Working Group I and II reports were finalised in August 2021 and February 2022 respectively. The latest report is part of Working Group III (published on 4th April) and gives an updated assessment on climate change mitigation. It concluded that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 if we want to keep the temperature increase below 1.5°C. This will involve reducing methane emissions by a third and overall greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 (from 2019 levels), despite the projected fall being only 27%.

The Synthesis Report is to be published in the coming months, before many world leaders come together to check their progress on the goals set in the Paris Agreement in the conclusion of the Global Stocktake at next year’s COP-28 meeting. COP (Conference of the Parties) is the main decision-making body of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), which is an agreement between 197 countries in the United Nations. The agreement is to “stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

The COP-27 Climate Summit will be held from the 6–18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. However, Rishi Sunak, the new Prime Minister of the UK, has been criticised for not attending.

Action that has already been taken includes a range of new policies and laws to increase energy efficiency, slow the rate of deforestation and accelerate implementation of renewable energy sources. These initiatives have decreased the rate of emissions of greenhouse gases between 2010 and 2019. However, these ten years have had the highest average emissions ever.

The IPCC has also encouraged people to begin to adapt, individually, to the changing climate, including how to handle increased heatwaves, droughts and flooding. These climate-induced disasters have left millions of people – particularly in Asia, Africa and South and Central America – with no supply of food, water and access to shelter, as well as damaged natural ecosystems.

For example, starting in June 2022, the excessive flooding that covered over one third of Pakistan has led to over 1,700 deaths. It is considered to be due to glaciers in the north melting, as well as extreme monsoon rains (both of which were a result of the change in climate). It acted as an example of the potential natural disasters that the world will encounter due to climate change and really highlighted how much some countries (especially those that contribute relatively little to greenhouse gas emissions) will be affected. It also demonstrated how little and slowly action is taken to respond to such disasters.

Harjeet Singh, a climate expert, said that “the response to Pakistan floods is a clear example of how impacted communities are now at the mercy of individual pledges that may or may not be delivered.” It was charity organisations at the forefront of the relief efforts early on, supplying food packages and other supplies to those on the ground.

Much of this suggests that the attitudes of those in power must change to allow for an effective international response to the inevitable effects of global warming and the threats it poses.