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Climate action is needed yesterday. Net zero by 2050 is climate denial. The public doesn't understand that we are so close to these dangerous thresholds. /1 https://twitter.com/djspratt/status/1315905815409119235
We should not waste any time debating whether to reduce car use, to ban fracking, to increase renewal energy, and to end exclusionary zoning. We have no time to lose. We need leaders that understand the urgency of the problem, and ACT. Our planet is at stake. /2
This is one of the scariest things I've ever read. People say climate activists are alarmist, when actually they are understating the danger! The IPCC is too conservative. Warming for high range scenarios is 15% more likely than projections reported by the IPCC. /3
To sum up, we are going to reach 1.5°C by 2030, 10 years earlier than predicted by the IPCC, 2°C by 2050, and we are on track for up to 5°C by 2100. But what does that mean in terms of our ability to survive on Earth? /4
1.5°C (as early as 2025) is not a safe target. Vital ecosystems are facing devastation. Many politicians tout the 2°C number in the Paris Climate Accords as a goal, but that would be a disaster. /5
We are close to the point of no return. A range of 1.5°C (as early as 2025) to 2°C (as early as 2038) could trigger a positive feedback loop of continued self-sustaining warming. /6
We are on track for warming of 3°C (as early as 2059) to 5°C (as early as 2094) by 2100. At 4°C (as early as 2076), the Earth likely won't be able to handle 4 billion people, meaning that billions of people (mostly in poor countries) will die. /7
3°C would lead to a 1/5 decline in crop yields, which wouldn't be able to support the world's population, desertification and chronic water shortages, and would be catastrophic for the poorest 3 billion people. Sea levels would rise to 25 m (82 ft!) NYC would be a goner. /8
To all policymakers! We need Net Zero by 2030, not 2050. Catastrophic outcomes will not be avoided if we use the 2050 target. /9
Achieving Net Zero by 2030 would not be enough, and getting that far would be a momentous achievement. /10
This is the most damning page. The end of civilization IS INEVITABLE "unless dramatic global action is taken to make
climate the number one priority of economics and politics in an emergency response." It wasn't on the agenda for the last Presidential debate. We don't get it! /11
climate the number one priority of economics and politics in an emergency response." It wasn't on the agenda for the last Presidential debate. We don't get it! /11
As the summary says, we need to act with even more urgency that is being given to COVID (in countries that are taking it seriously). We need to take to the streets. We need to vote out elected officials (both Democratic and Republican) who don't make this their top priority. /12
If, god willing, Biden is elected & Dems take the Senate, we need to push them to abolish the filibuster, expand the Supreme Court, and pass H.R.1, which would ban gerrymandering and expand voting rights, to ensure our planet doesn't die to make the wealthy richer. /13
Then, a strong Green New Deal needs to be passed, with even more aggressive targets. Spending trillions on the GND, abolishing the filibuster, and expanding the Supreme Court might seem radical to many people, including many Democrats, but what other alternative do we have? /14
If these things don't happen, billions of people around the world, predominately in poorer countries in the Global South, WILL DIE & poverty will increase. Whole swaths of the Earth will be uninhabitable. Food production will be slashed. Most major cities will be underwater. /15
We need to realize that Republicans will never acknowledge the Climate Crisis is real since they are in the pockets of the Koch Brothers. They can't be convinced. Instead, we need to get Democrats to realize the urgency of the crisis, and we need it to be their top priority. /16
We need to kick Democrats who downplay the significance of the Climate Crisis, like Senator Feinstein, and Democrats who pretend they are doing enough, like Governor Cuomo and Newsom, out of office, and elect people who understand that BILLIONS WILL DIE unless they act. /17
There is no time to lose. First, we need to make sure Joe Biden wins the presidency & that Democrats take the Senate, and with a decent majority (54-58 seats), to ensure the fate of our planet does not depend on Feinstein and Manchin's opposition to abolishing the filibuster. /18
Donate, if possible, to help Democrats take the Senate, vote, and get as many of your friends and family members to turn out and vote—not just for President or Congress, but for your state legislature, city council, etc. https://twitter.com/davidshor/status/1314950031443714053 /19
And finally, run for office! There are few electeds who get the urgency, largely because most are in their 70s/80s & won't live to see the unfolding disaster. I, myself, am considering running against one of the most conservative Democrats in the NY State Senate in 2022. /20
As the report says, "The collapse of civilisation is not inevitable, but emergency-level action right now is critical." If we work together, we can save our planet. /21
