The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment report has been published today. ActionAid International, a humanitarian organization which campaigns on climate justice and works with communities on the front lines of climate disasters, has released the following statement.
Commenting on the report, Teresa Anderson, Global Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid International, said:
“There’s a terrifying flood of evidence that climate impacts are already far worse, and harming billions more people, than was predicted even just a few years ago. It proves the urgent need for the UN to make good on last year’s historic decision at COP27 to create a new fund to help communities affected by climate-induced loss and damage.
Everyone who reads this report will be scared for their own future. This needs to be the trigger that moves the world from grudging acceptance to rapid action on climate change. With the finger of blame firmly pointed at the fossil fuel industry, governments need to stop delaying and start acting.”
Teresa added:
“For too many years, the elusive promises of technofixes or carbon offsets have allowed the biggest polluters to string us all along. Enough is enough. There is only a narrow window of opportunity to limit warming to 1.5°C, avoid runaway climate breakdown, and protect billions of people. But we can only do this if governments are willing to treat this report as a clear mandate for courageous action.”
Vanuatu is an island in the South Pacific Ocean which faces regular and intense weather events. Flora Vano, Country Director at ActionAid Vanuatu, said:
“This report is important because it captures the dire state of the planet and forecasts a future dictated by ever-intensifying and frequent disasters, but in Vanuatu, I only need to leave my home to witness the harsh realities of a warming world.
This month alone, we have experienced two cyclones in the space of a week. Our situation is desperate, and this is the reality of climate change. We don’t want to be told to move to another island or another country. I don’t want to wake up to a new flood which will wipe out women and girls in my community.”
ENDS
For media requests, please email Jenna.Farineau@actionaid.org or call 202-777-3668.
We have Teresa Anderson available to interview on the IPCC report.
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation that works with more than 15 million people living in more than 40 of the world’s poorest countries. We want to see a just and sustainable world, in which everyone enjoys the right to a dignified life and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work for social justice and gender equality and poverty eradication.