Page 4 - AsiaElec Week 14 2022

AsiaElec COMMENTARY AsiaElec

IPCC: We can halve emissions

by 2030 with the help of

renewable energy and hydrogen

GLOBAL. A substantial reduction in fossil fuel use coupled Moscow has invaded Ukraine, and European
with electrification through renewable energy countries are rushing to reduce oil and natural
can help the world halve emissions by 2030, says gas imports from Russia and bolster their energy
a new United Nations report. independence. In some cases that could mean
The flagship scientific report, published on increasing emissions in the short term. Energy
April 4, said that the shift away from fossil fuels prices have also been escalating, especially in
must be rapid, though the world has made some Europe and even before the invasion just over a
progress because of the dramatically falling costs month ago.
of renewable energy. The report was compiled “We are at a crossroads. The decisions we
by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate make now can secure a liveable future. We
Change’s (IPCC) Working Group III and is enti- have the tools and know-how required to limit
tled Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate warming,” said Hoesung Lee, chair of the IPCC.
Change. It was approved by 195 governments “I am encouraged by climate action being taken
and was collaborated on by 278 experts from 65 in many countries. There are policies, regula-
countries. tions and market instruments that are proving
Limiting global warming will require major effective. If these are scaled up and applied more
transitions in the energy sector, it said. This will widely and equitably, they can support deep
involve a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use, emissions reductions and stimulate innovation.”
widespread electrification, improved energy IPCC Working Group III Co-Chair Jim Skea,
efficiency and the use of alternative fuels such as an energy researcher at Imperial College in Lon-
hydrogen. don, stressed: “Climate change is the result of
The report is important because not only does more than a century of unsustainable energy and
it stress the urgency, but its publication comes as land use, lifestyles and patterns of consumption

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 14 06•April•2022