Episode 36 | Anthesis on IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report: Ambitious Action can Secure a Livable Future

Chris
Hello and welcome to a special activating sustainability reaction podcast on the latest intergovernmental panel on climate change report that was released on March 20th. I’m your host Chris Peterson and I’m joined by anthesis’ Chief Sustainability Officer, Paul Crewe, to share some of his quick reactions and insights.

Paul
My absolute pleasure Chris absolute pleasure.

Chris
Paul thanks so much for joining us. Maybe you can just start us off with at a high level: What is this IPCC report and why should people care about it?

Paul
Yeah, for me, it’s so important and so key. There are lots of organizations across the globe that have views on climate change and what’s happening but this is the quintessential body of hundreds of scientists across the globe that have come together and agreed on a set of data points that are absolutely pointing to some really important milestones for us as human beings on this planet. Some key extracts for me is global warming is more likely than not in the near term to reach a one and a half degrees c rise now that is unequivocal but it’s not hypothetical. This is science telling us that that’s going to happen. Carbon emissions continued to rise relentlessly last year but they got to fall by almost half by 2030 if we’ve got any hope of actually achieving and limiting that global warming of ° so important we can all see we’ve all been able to look out for windows listen to the news in our own areas in areas where our friends live where we’re seeing that devastating extreme weather events even last year alone these are going to continue.

Paul
You know my own village has been flooded. I’ve seen fires we see droughts and the scientists in the IPCC report are absolutely confirming that these are going to become more frequent and intense and these are going to. Exacerbate themselves with every small slight movement of a degree of warming the report is absolutely about urgency. It is crudch time for every one of us on this planet. We are so close to reaching one half to greasy that things need to happen now we have to stop talking and we have to stop start doing at scale and at speed 1 warming. Excuse the pun 1 warning thinking that I actually got from the report concluded that humanity us as human beings have the tools to Curb And Adapt to climate change but we haven’t necessary got the political will to do so and that window is closing so we absolutely need to act I’m just going to pick up on united nations secretary general Antonio Guterre’s words you know the IPCC report indicates that this is a survival guide for humanity and the one half greasy limit is achievable but it will take a quantum leap in climate action going to go back action. No more procrastination. Let’s work solve those issues and solve those problems and you know have a world that we’re going to be safe for all of our families and our family’s families to come.

Chris
Yeah, and it’s pretty incredible when you think about as you said that kind of start contrast between one and a half degrees of feels like it. We’re there now right? and the two degree kind of output that we’re on track for. Do you want to speak a little bit to some of those consequences or the things you’re seeing.

Paul
Yeah, from a consequence perspective. You know we’re seeing we’re seeing it in our homes we’re seeing it in our friends homes we’re seeing it on continents. We’re seeing extreme heat.
We’re seeing crops that are being devastated because they’ve either have too much water or they have no water. You know the challenges that we face are everywhere and quite often. It’s it’s easy for us in our own worlds to think it’s always somebody else’s problems. But actually if we just think about the food that we eat. You know the majority of food that we eat comes from the continents that you know are not nearby us and so we have to rely upon. The change in seasons. The you know the impacts of even moving goods and services due to the impact of weather conditions as an example so it’s not anybody else’s problems. It’s all of our problems and we all have a really important part to play in making. Decisions based upon scientific evidence. In fact that the ipcc has produced to enable us to fulfill the important thing that we have to achieve and that is keeping that global warming. To the right sensible level that gives everybody an opportunity to enjoy a healthy social wellbeing and life.

Chris
Yeah, no, there was a really interesting graphic within it of the generational impacts of this as they advance they you know, definitely encourage everybody to take a look at and think about it in terms of exactly like you’re saying how it’s impacting people today and how that will vary in terms of impacts for. Those were born in the 50 s or the 70 s or two thousand s etc.

Paul
Yeah, and you know I I use a simple premise. Um, when I think about you know my world you know initially I think about the things that I can influence in my world as in my family with me then I think about the impact. In my community. But then I think about Beyond my community and the wider World community and if we all think along those lines and it’s is you know we are. We’re human beings and it’s fine to be selfish about my eye but actually there’s no I in team and so. If we all come together and collaborate and support each other to move in a direction of travel that we’re hearing very loud and clear is one. We must take or or expect the consequences. There are no unintended consequences here. We can see the consequences by not taking action.

Chris
Yeah, it’s great way of putting it. So Paul 1 thing. We want to ask is around There’s a lot in the report about kind of planetary societal and country level impacts. But. I know you spent a lot of time boardrooms, etc and would love to hear kind of how you see this report and what it means for organizations and individuals.

Paul
Yeah, you know you know I have the privilege as we do in Anthesis. So We have the privilege of supporting organizations, government cities and communities across the globe with every aspect of Sustainability. You know I’m prayed of the journey that we’re On. Um, proud that we’re a B corporation to be able to walk the talk So not just advising our clients but actually walking the talk ourselves in the things that we do and for me the more we can talk the more we can communicate and the more we can engage and Dispel myths. And legends around the social and economic challenges of climate change the more impact we will actually be able to have together and for me creating. That awareness at a level which is understood throughout an organization and what that means is is understanding the impact both in terms of the social environmental but also the financial impact. Climate change is correct creating a huge amount of Risk. It’s causing you know uncertainty is called ah uncertainty in markets with financial institutions with insurance institutions with corporations that are looking to invest.

Paul
In Future technologies in future countries and that uncertainty obviously is not a great thing to have in your horizon. So for me having that awareness throughout an organization about the parts and the things that they can influence. So expedite change is so so important I think from my perspective you know if if I could share a few few few ideas of how organizations can really grab hold of the opportunity.

Chris
Please.

Paul
By having organizations truly adopt and commit to a carbon plan or net zero carbon transition and have those Kpis or performance indicators. Locked into individuals performance and objectives really make a difference for me having a clear plan on a direction of travel to enable you to go on a journey to get to a next 0 transition in your organization. Is vitally important but there are some blockers that that can be perceived as an issue and that’s around collaboration and in a number of countries that I have worked in.. There were very strict laws and strict governance practices that really disenfranchise collaboration. The class is a precompetitive um antitrust perspective and. Having the ability for governments at country level to really understand we are in a existential crisis climate change is a crisis and we should absolutely have an agreement.

Paul
Where we move from precompeive as a word and we really move into will I class is transformative alliances. So alliances that come together that can actually transform and help us to move into a net zero world and. That takes guts. It takes trust. But for me, it is so vitally important and I believe we will get there. This is under review in the united kingdom right here and now with a Cma. Um, which is a governance organization which governs how businesses work and operate together and I’ve got great expectations that common sense will prevail and that I enabling finance finance. Organizations technology organizations corporations ngos organizations like and thesis to really come together through an alliance to to shower brains share our ideas our thoughts I would class it in my world share the good. The bad. And Ugly and that will then allow us to learn and accelerate things at a much larger scale and you know I’m proud of the things that we do in our thesis for those organizations we are here, please reach Out. We’re really excited about. Being able to help accelerate the impact for our partners and our future partners on their net zero carbon Transitions. So we are here and we would love to be able to help you.

Chris
Well wonderful I know so much more we can unpack within that but really appreciate kind of those initial reactions know there’s a lot of resources on the website etc to help support that so Paul thank you so much for the time and insight really appreciate it.

Paul
No very good and good luck on your journeys.

Chris
And thank you all so much for listening. Be sure to visit and Anthesis group.com for those resources that we mentioned in-depth analysis and links to the IPCC report. Thanks again, take care.