The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which was released last week and which we co-authored with many colleagues, offers hope for limiting global warming. But there is no time to waste. And wasted time includes time spent debating issues that divert us from our most important priorities right now. Unfortunately, debates about distant future decisions and future uncertainties are distracting advocates, policymakers, researchers, and the public from their shared, near-term goals. Rather than getting mired in these debates, we should focus on credible commitments to public policy, private investment, and innovation. Rather than getting distracted by distant and likely irreducible uncertainties, let’s focus on what matters: deploying clean technologies we know we need, implementing a coherent climate policy, laying the groundwork for future progress, and creating a just transition that shares the benefits of a sustainable energy system.
By John Bistline, Inês Azevedo, Chris Bataille and Steven Davis. New York Times. April 10, 2022.
