Transcript: Climate Mixtape: IPCC reflections
TEDxLondon Climate Curious
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Maryam Pasha
You may have seen some pretty intense climate news headlines earlier this week about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the IPCC’s latest report. It’s a piece of work from UN scientists warning us about impending climate disaster, and how to avert it.
In a nutshell – we need to speed up our global efforts to reduce the amount of carbon in our atmosphere, fast.
We’ve put together our first ever Climate Curious mixtape: a mashup of hot takes from experts on a single topic. Giving you a collection of views on what the report means.
We asked each of them – What gives you hope in the wake of the IPCC report?
Let’s listen now – and remember Stay Curious!
Mark Dyson
Hi, I’m Mark Dyson and I work on carbon free electricity at Rmi. The new report from the IPCC is stark describing, quote, a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all. This reminds me of the statement attributed to the great systems thinker, Dana Meadows. If we can ask her given this dire news from the IPCC, do we have enough time to prevent the very worst outcomes of climate change? She might say we have exactly enough time, starting right now. The good news is that we’ve already started we’ve already got strong momentum on decarbonizing our power grid, a critical step to decarbonizing our entire economy. So my response to the IPCC report is to recommit to accelerating progress on carbon free energy, starting right now.
Jessica Kleczka
Hi, I’m Jessica Kleczka and I’m a climate psychologist and activist. The latest IPCC report was, of course, deeply unsettling, but it didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. What was news that the IPCC used a refreshing approach and how we communicated the science by highlighting the threat of climate change, but also stressing that there is still hope if we act with urgency. What gives me hope, it seems so many incredible movements around the world pushing for change. One of them is the fossil fuel Non Proliferation Treaty, which has mobilised cities governments, scientists, and even the World Health Organisation in European Parliament to call for a rapid and just exit from fossil fuels.
Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell
Hi, my name is Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell. I’m the CEO for Girls North Brides, the Global Partnership to Ed Child Marriage. My reaction to the latest I P C C report 2023 is a 10 key outcomes which have been outlined, and one of them being that the impact of climate change is far reaching and more severe than anticipated.
So that is worrying and alarming, but what gives me hope is. Recommendation number three says that effective solutions can actually help to address some of the challenges we are facing. All we need is more financing. So I think it’s a call to action that governments leaders do more and do better, and especially for me as a CEO of Girls Not Bright, I think it’s important that we do this urgently as so many girls are at risk of child marriage as are consequences of the impact of climate change.
Tessa Khan
Hi, my name is Tessa Khan, and I’m the Executive Director of uplift. My reaction to the latest IPCC report is that it is helpfully crystal clear about the fact that the thing we need to focus on if we’re going to avert catastrophic levels of climate change is rapidly and substantially cutting back on our use of fossil fuels. And that that really underlines how crazy it is that a government like the UK Government is still considering approving new oil and gas fields in the North Sea. What gives me hope is that there is evidence actually across Europe at the moment that when governments really put their mind to it, they can rapidly speed up that transition away from fossil fuels. It can be done, if governments want to do it. It’s just a matter of them, putting their mind to it and us holding them accountable for that.
Isaias Hernandez
Hi there, my name is Isaias Hernandez. I’m an environmental educator and the content creator of queer brown vegan. My reaction to the latest IPCC report is not surprising. I think years over the years, we continue to tell Global North governments that they need to have climate action plans. And it seems like they’re no not listening to us. But luckily, what gives me hope is that there are strategies and solutions that are already ready to be implemented. And I believe that climate finance and also working with governments and also communities to create climate justice futures is possible. And I like to say the term evidence based hope because I think evidence based hope is not just this wishful type of thinking. It’s actually rooted in this continued momentum of progress that is being made in communities and this term itself is so dear to me because it was coined by my mentor Alan Kelsey, and I really believe in the future of climate change.
Ends
Featuring contributions from:
Mark Dyson, RMI
Isaias Hernandez, environmental educator
Tessa Khan, Uplift
Jessica Kleczka, climate psychologist
Dr. Faith Mwangi Powell, Girls Not Brides
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