A glacier near Les Diablerets in Switzerland was covered to reflect the sun and prevent melting.Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Somini Sengupta , New York Times, March 20, 2023
“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all (very high confidence).” This is the most striking sentence in a 37-page summary in the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It tells us what’s possible. It tells us the stakes.
The report has been compiled by hundreds of scholars and approved by the representatives of 195 countries. The italicized phrase represents the authors’ degree of certainty. The italics are theirs, not mine.
The report is sobering, gut-wrenching and above all, practical. Its clearest takeaway: The continued use of fossil fuels is harming all of us, and harming some of us a lot more.
More information:
IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report Climate Change 2023
The Latest IPCC Report: What is it and why does it matter? The Nature Conservancy,