IPCC Report Reaches Dire Conclusions Based on Models that Overstate Rate of Warming

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new report Monday related to the issue of climate change.

Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell said:

“The IPCC’s report is the latest in a series of dire warnings of tipping points and last chances dating back to the 1980s.  The good news is that the rate of global warming since 1980 is much lower than that predicted by the computer models used by the IPCC.  Unless the rate of warming increases dramatically, the drastic and immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions the IPCC claims are necessary to avoid catastrophe will not be needed.

“That’s also good news because there is little evidence that the world is going to start moving away from coal, oil, and natural gas, which provide over 80% of the world’s energy.  While places like the European Union and California are replacing carbon-based fuels with more expensive alternatives, China, Japan, and South Korea are building lots of new coal-fired power plants.  Chinese emissions are now larger than the those of the United States and the European Union combined.  In the Paris climate treaty, China merely promised that its emissions will peak by 2030. If the IPCC is going to convince the world to turn its energy economy upside down, consumers are going to have to be convinced to pay a lot more for energy. That’s going to be a hard sell in developing countries where billions of people are still living in energy poverty.”  

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