Climate change: The necessary, the possible and the desirable Earth League climate statement on the implications for climate policy from the 5th IPCC Assessment

Rockstroem, J., Brasseur, G., Hoskins, B., Lucht, W., Schellnhuber, H.J., Kabat, P., Nakicenovic, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7176-4604, Gong, P., Schlosser, P., Costa, M.M., & Humble, A. (2014). Climate change: The necessary, the possible and the desirable Earth League climate statement on the implications for climate policy from the 5th IPCC Assessment. Earth's Future 2 (12) 606-611. 10.1002/2014EF000280.

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Abstract

In time with this year's UN climate conference in Lima, a group of leading scientists, including Earth League members - a global alliance of prominent climate scientists - laid out in a joint paper the key elements of the "the necessary, the possible and the desirable" in relation to climate change.

"We, as citizens with a strong engagement in Earth system science and socio-ecological dynamics, share the vision of a more equitable and prosperous future for the world, yet we also see threats to this future from shifts in climate and environmental processes," the scientists write. "Without collaborative action now, our shared Earth system may not be able to sustainably support a large proportion of humanity in the coming decades.. The authors concisely explain the high risks presented by cascading environmental vulnerabilities and positive feedback effects. They highlight that a transformation towards carbon-free energy systems is feasible, and would come with substantial benefits.

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