Now is the time to make an unbreakable commitment to nature

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), published on Monday 9 August 2021, has found the globe’s ocean, lands and air temperatures are rising, and that the human influence in climate change across the planet is “unequivocal”. 

A rigorously objective review of all available evidence compiled by hundreds of scientists working in lockstep with governments across 195 countries, the IPCC’s report is designed to provide world leaders with the most authoritative and up to date summary of the state of the Earth’s climate, ahead of November’s UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow. 

Commenting on the launch of the report, The Nature Conservancy’s Chief Scientist, Professor Katharine Hayhoe, said that the IPCC’s latest recommendations provided the final impetus towards affirmative and collaborative action that leaves nobody behind on the road towards a safer and more secure climate future.

“It’s clear we’re all in the same boat,” Prof. Hayhoe said, “facing a challenge that will affect every one of us within our lifetimes, not to mention future generations and most other life on Earth. The need to act collectively and decisively has never been more urgent.

“This last year has proven that climate change is no longer a distant threat; its effects are happening right now, in real-time. From record-breaking heatwaves and severe droughts, to catastrophic wildfires and devastating floods, climate-driven threats are increasingly part of our daily headlines.”

“Australia is already experiencing the severe impacts of extreme heat and less cold extremes, and the report confirms that these trends will continue, with more frequent and more intense fires which will last longer, and more widespread heatwaves, droughts and floods,” said TNC Australia’s Managing Director Alison Rowe.

“This, combined to rising sea levels and warming of the oceans, pose a major risk to vital ecosystems and communities that rely on these ecosystems.  

“The report is clear: human activities are the drivers of these worldwide changes. It highlights the urgency of transitioning to cleaner energy and less environmentally-damaging activities. It is also crucial that we acknowledge the key role nature is already playing in fighting climate change and mitigating its impacts. Conservation and protection efforts, as well as sustainable ways of financing them, have never been more important. It is time to act and to make an unbreakable commitment to nature.”