On 19th March 2023, governments approved a significant new report on climate change from the United Nations, which had been delayed due to a dispute between wealthy and developing countries over emissions targets and financial aid for vulnerable nations.
The report, authored by hundreds of the world’s top scientists, was expected to be approved on Friday at a week-long meeting in Interlaken, Switzerland. However, negotiations continued through the weekend, with officials from major nations such as the United States, and the European Union , China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, haggling over crucial wording in the text.
The report summarizes extensive research on global warming since the Paris climate agreement in 2015. Although a summary of the information was approved early Sunday, understanding the main text took time, leading to concerns that it might be postponed. The report will be released at a news conference on 20th afternoon. Having countries sign off on scientific information ensures that governments accept its findings as the authoritative guidance for their actions.
As the stakes for reducing global warming increase, the IPCC meetings have become increasingly politicized, resembling the annual U.N. climate talks that usually occur at the year’s end. The thorniest issues at the recent meeting included defining which nations count as vulnerable developing countries, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and how to include carbon removal efforts in the equations. The United States, which has released the most significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since industrialization, has firmly rejected the notion of historical responsibility for climate change.
