A major review of climate change science says that while the world is likely to pass a dangerous temperature threshold in the next decade, the worst effects of global warming can still be avoided if we try.
The head of the UN, Antonio Guterres, says that action should not be delayed any more, warning the “climate time bomb is ticking”.
Speaking in response to the “synthesis report” published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Mr. Guterres issued the stark fact that “Concentrations of carbon dioxide are at their highest in at least 2 million years”.
The world needs climate protection on all fronts
UN climate scientists have published a landmark report warning that the world is likely to miss a previously agreed threshold for rising average temperatures. Leading members of the IPCC summarised evidence gathered through years of research to issue the warning that even rapid move away from fossil fuels is unlikely to keep the average global rise from surpassing the 1.5 threshold by 2030.
According to the scientific report, which was presented in the Swiss city of Interlaken, the world is on the brink of irreversible damage unless we take immediate action. The review even goes so far as to say that for some communities, it is already too late.
Urging global leaders to act decisively, the IPCC report warns that decisions made today will have far-reaching implications for millennia to come. Calling for a drastic cut in GHG – Green House Gas Emissions – through an immediate move away from fossil fuels, it states that the tools are there to turn this around but that governments are not putting them to full use.
An energy audit is the first step to a more sustainable future for your business.
Describing what is being termed the “synthesis report” as a “survival guide for humanity” UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, declared that the “world is on thin ice which is melting quickly”.
A compendium of several scientific studies, the IPCC report contains a lot of worrying facts. The world is warming at a faster rate than at any time in the past 2,000 years, while extreme weather events like the record-breaking heatwave across Europe during Summer 2022, are becoming more common. While emissions of GHG have reduced, but all too slowly to have a positive impact.
The IPCC report indicates that it is now more likely than ever that we will pass the 1.5 safety cut off within the next ten years. Solutions are available it states; it now falls to governments to make the right choices and quickly.
According to IPCC scientists, things are getting worse. The impact of climate change is accelerating and the anticipated outcomes of our exceeding the 1.5 threshold will be devastating, said Professor Jane Stout, VP for Biodiversity & Climate Change at TCD, whilst Prof. Peter Thorne of the Icarus Centre at Maynooth University and lead author of the report stressed, “The future really is in our hands. We will in all probability reach 1.5 degrees early in the next decade but after that it really is down to our choices now. The rest of this decade is key”.
Energy Management and Energy Generation
Ongoing changes in Energy generation and management and a move to low carbon construction together with changes in agriculture and forestry are just some of the “known solutions’ being implemented by European governments, albeit at a very slow pace.
Continuing on this pathway, the IPCC experts warn, will bring intensification of extreme weather patterns, continued ecosystem degradation and damaged to lives and livelihoods. What the report makes clear, is that the actions taken by world leaders over what remains of this decade will resonate for hundreds of years.
If temperatures soar above the 1.5 safety threshold, the Polar icecap will melt, adversely impacting already rising sea levels putting several tracts of low lying land in peril. Which is why the IPCC’s Climate Solidarity Pact is calling for governments of developed countries to accelerate plans for Net Zero by a decade, pushing for them to hit agreed COP 27 emissions targets by 2040.
According to Antonio Guterres, “speed is the key to keeping the planet liveable”.
Entertise Ireland Grants Green Start & Green Plus Sustainability Product Funding
Now is the time for Government and business leaders alike to join together to expedite the Green Evolution.
The Irish government’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan facilitates the allocation of EU funding to projects “supporting the digital and climate transition of enterprise”, including those projects which proactively target cutting emissions through decarbonisation.
This funding covers the cost of Sustainability Consultancy with a view to supporting Irish businesses to optimise Environmental and Energy performance through achieving greater efficiencies by adopting Net Zero-driven strategies.
The Enterprise Ireland Grants are divided into two categories: Green Start and Green Plus.
Examples of eligible Green Start projects include:
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Decarbonisation of Irish Enterprise
Aimed at accelerating the “decarbonisation of Irish enterprise” the Green Start project support operates under the Green Transition Fund with maximum funding available in the amount of Euro 5,000.
The Enterprise Ireland Grants – Green Plus funding project aims to drive optimal sustainability by supporting Irish businesses to adopt the twin methodologies of continuous improvement and increased efficiencies through the implementation of standards-based systems and best-practices.
The fund can be used to cover the fees of up to ten Green Transition project members for the duration. Their tasks is to design, develop and deliver an optimal standards-based Environmental Management System and to roll out a suitable awareness training programme across the organisation to support the ongoing maintenance of the system.
Such projects would be typically of 12 months duration and funding is capped at 50% of eligible costs up to a maximum of Euro 100,000.
To be eligible for either fund, projects must comply with relevant EU and national environmental legislation including ‘Do no significant harm’ Technical Guidance (2021/C58/01).
How to make an Enterprise Ireland Grant Claim
To qualify for a grant you must be a client of Enterprise Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Becoming a client is simple, you must first go through elegability with an Enterprise Ireland Advisor who will talk to you about your requirements and elegibility. If all is OK, you can get access.
CG Business Consulting offers a full range of Sustainability Services. As an Enterprise Ireland approved service provider, our Sustainability experts can help your business prepare and apply for Enterprise Ireland supports to fund your Green Transition.
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