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It came as no surprise to environmentalists this week that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) most recent climate report paints a stark picture: Climate change is happening faster than previously predicted, and the precipice we’re standing on is quickly disintegrating. But there are still plenty of things we can do to battle the climate crisis and adapt to current and future impacts.

Building off the IPCC’s last report in 2013, this assessment brought more than 200 scientists together from around the world to consider all climate research available. The result is the most comprehensive analysis on climate change to date.

Since the last assessment, climate models have become increasingly accurate, making the links between human activity and climate change irrefutable and drawing direct correlations between specific weather events and climate change. 

Other key findings:

Before this report could be published, all UN governments agreed that the findings were accurately summarized. This further confirms that climate science is no longer up for debate and the global community agrees that the warming planet threatens life as we know it.

Here’s what the United States needs to do right away:

In responding to the IPCC and other reports on climate change, governments must approach solutions from a climate justice lens, transitioning to a clean energy future that is inclusive and equitable. Energy, the environment, and the economy are all parts of an interrelated whole — and people are at the heart of it all.

Want more policy recommendations? Visit our Climate, Energy, Justice: The Policy Path to a Just Transition for an Energy Hungry America report page.

Top photo by the author.