The has made for some scary reading this week.
Climate change is very much here now, much of it has been “unequivocally caused by human activities”, and some effects are already irreversible.
But experts say the fight isn’t over and there are a number of ways individuals can take personal action, affect others, and heap pressure on governments and corporations to help solve the crisis.
Malte Meinshausen, one of the IPCC report’s lead authors and an associate professor at The University of Melbourne’s School of Earth Sciences, says all hope is not lost yet.
“It is scary, yes, because unfortunately, we face a future where, at least for the next 30 to 40 years, the climate impacts are going to get worse,” he told SBS News.
“But helpless? No - the future is still in our hands regarding whether we stay at about 1.5 degrees Celsius [above pre-industrial levels] or whether we're shooting past it.”
Here are six things you can do to help avert the worst of the climate impacts that lie ahead.
Vote for climate action
This is a big one.
If acting on climate change is a priority for you, you should make sure you vote for someone for whom that is also a priority when next at the ballot box.
Neil Plummer, a consultant to the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub and a former head of climate services at the Bureau of Meteorology, says it's unlikely the necessary emission reduction targets will be achieved without concerted efforts from governments.
“The public will need to hold governments to account for emissions reductions that are in line with maintaining global temperatures close to 1.5°C,” he says.
“We need to see energy transition plans that are consistent with a safer, sustainable, and more prosperous world. There will need to be a stop to the expansion of fossil fuel energy sources ... and, very importantly, investment in a just transition for workers in fossil fuel industries.”
Rebecca Colvin, a senior lecturer at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy, says making climate change a decisive issue at the voting booth can go a long way.
“The potential for any single person to enact big enough change that you see it in the atmosphere is pretty small, but where we can have an impact is by moving as collectives or seeing where we've got the leverage as individuals to move bigger systems or structures,” she says.
“Voting is one way that we can do that.”
Connect with your local MP
No matter what your political colours are, get in contact with your local politician, associate professor Meinshausen says.
“You can vote for parties that already have climate action on their tickets but you can also convince parties that might not have climate action on their tickets to consider [it] from whatever their angle is,” he says.
“The whole world is going to net-zero emissions. If you're a politician that primarily looks after and wants to look after jobs in the economy, then the right thing to do is embark on renewable energy … because that is right for Australia and for the climate simply because of the economics and growth potential of renewable energies.”
Power up with renewables
Another big way you can take action personally is by pivoting your home and business energy sources towards renewables.
“We all have a role to play in reducing our own carbon footprint by, for example, being more energy-efficient, switching from gas to electricity in homes and businesses, switching to renewables, purchasing power from renewable sources, and consuming less,” Mr Plummer says.
“We know how to ensure global temperatures stay close to 1.5°C and most, if not all, of the technologies are already with us. Implementing and scaling up these technologies will be very challenging but humanity can, and has, acted quickly to transform when it has needed to.”
Hornsdale wind farm in the southwest of the Narien Range, north of Jamestown, South Australia Source: Getty Images
“Luckily today, we have cheap renewable energies - so doing the right thing of avoiding emissions now goes hand in hand with doing the cheap thing,” he says.
For those who may not have the means to entirely switch their homes to renewables, such as renters, associate professor Meinshausen has some advice.
“If you're in a rental place, see whether you can get an electricity contract that has renewable energy, and see whether you can buy a little induction cooking plate instead of using gas,” he says.
Talk with friends and family
It's a simple thought, but according to Dr Colvin, it's also effective.
Conversations about climate change can be transformative in the social space, she says.
“Research tells us conversations create a positive feedback loop where by talking about climate change, you increase your understanding of climate change, and when you understand more, you're more motivated to talk about it,” she says.
“So for those of us that might feel ‘we don't have massive amounts of power, we don't have resources at our disposal’, well, we've all got conversation skills and so in your own networks you can talk to people about how you’re feeling and what you’re doing ... and that in itself is powerful.
“In doing so, we learn new ways to cope with climate change and new ways that we can all make an impact.”
Dr Colvin also says taking individual action - such as shifting towards a more plant-based diet, composting and recycling - and talking about it can make us appear more credible as messengers.
“If we're saying to someone they should look at what the IPCC is saying on climate change, if we can show that we've made changes in our own lives to address our own impact, that gives us more credibility to be talking to others about making changes in their lives too.”
Speak up at work
The workplace is another setting where the ideas, decisions, and actions of individuals can have a ripple effect across a larger cohort of people, Dr Colvin says.
"In our working lives, a lot of us are in positions where we can make suggestions or decisions for the organisations that we work for," she says.
"So if you're in a position of decision-making in your place of employment, then you potentially have the power to shape the direction the entire organisation goes in for the better."
Re-think how you get around
Thinking about how you use transport is another “big ticket” item that can help reduce your carbon footprint, associate professor Meinshausen says.
Getting an electric vehicle is a great option if you have the means, he says. They're getting cheaper to acquire and they're already cheaper to run compared to their petrol-powered counterparts.
“While not many people are fortunate enough at the moment to buy the slightly more expensive electric vehicles, that will hopefully [change soon] in Australia and in the rest of the world,” he says.
An electric vehicle at a charge station in Crows Nest, Sydney Source: Getty
There are other things you can do, such as using public transport where possible, associate professor Meinshausen says.
Asking your local politicians to upgrade bicycle and public transport infrastructure are others.
"Use bikes and use public transport rather than thinking anything about cars, no matter whether they're electric or petrol," he says.
Switch your bank or super
Banks and superannuation funds have long invested money in high-emitting industries and corporations.
Even though it can take a bit of research to find the right plan or option that best works for you, keeping your money with someone that doesn’t invest with high-emitters is one of the most direct ways your money can affect the climate.
Banks and superannuation providers are increasingly setting more ambitious climate targets and divesting away from fossil fuels – but beware of “greenwashing”, where a company uses unsupported claims to make it appear their practices are more climate-friendly than they actually are.
“This is again where a single person can only do so much, but if you can pull a lever that moves something bigger, that's where you have power,” Dr Colvin says.
