>>> TURNING OUT TO THE HEAT WAVE SCORCHING EUROPE.
CROATIANS ARE REVERTING TO OLD TRADITIONS LIKE SMEARING MUD ON THEMSELVES AS PROTECTION FROM THE SON.
THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY SAYS WE COULD SEE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED ON THE CONTINENT.
HEAT IS THE SILENT KILLER.
A STARTLING NEW REPORT FOUND NEARLY 62,000 EUROPEANS DIED IN LAST YEAR'S HEAT WAVE AND FEAR IS GROWING THAT THIS YEAR COULD BE WORSE.
DR. LEE CHAIRS THE ICC, THE ONE BODY TASKED WITH ADVANCING CLIMATE KNOWLEDGE.
HE SAT DOWN WITH HARI SREENIVASAN AND THIS CONVERSATION IS PART OF THE MEDIA INITIATIVE, PERIL AND PROMISE ON THE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE.
>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE IPCC AND THE REPORTS YOU GENERATE WHICH ARE MORE STERN RECENTLY.
WHAT WAS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THIS REPORT IN 2023?
>> GLOBAL WARMING IS OCCURRING EVERYWHERE IN THE GLOBE.
ALL SECTORS ARE BEING AFFECTED BY THESE RISING TEMPERATURES AND WE EXPECT THAT TO BE A MINIMAL INCREASE AND UP TO THIS POINT IT'S COMPARED TO PREINDUSTRIAL LEVELS.
TEMPERATURE IS HIGHER BY 1.1 DEGREES.
NOW THIS MUCH OF INCREASE CREATED A TREMENDOUS IMPACT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
FOR INSTANCE, PAKISTAN HAD ONE THIRD OF ITS COUNTRY AFFECTED.
IT IS THE HUMAN COST IMPACT AND THIS REPORT STRENGTHENS THE ATTRIBUTION OF THESE IMPACTS TO THE HUMAN INFLUENCE.
>> HELP PEOPLE AT HOME UNDERSTAND WHY I -- WHY ONE .5 DEGREES CELSIUS IS IMPORTANT?
MOST PEOPLE WHEN IT COMES TO TEMPERATURE AT LEAST IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR CONTROL THEY THINK OF THE THERMOSTAT?
WHAT DOES ONE .5 OR TWO DEGREES CELSIUS MEAN TO THE PLANET?
>> WELL, LET ME TELL YOU THIS.
WE WERE FAMILIAR A LONG TIME AGO.
>> WE HAD ICE AGE WHEN IT WAS MANY DEGREES LOWER.
>> SO ONE .1 DEGREE INCREASE FROM PREINDUSTRIAL IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE AND FIRST OF ALL THIS ONE .1 DEGREE INCREASE OCCURRED IN THE LAST 150 YEAR.
AND THE TEMPERATURE CHANGED A LOT BUT EXPERIENCING 1.1 DEGREE AND 150 AT A TIME.
IS SOMETHING ELSE.
IT IS THE RACE BETWEEN HOW FAST THE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASES AND HOW FAST THE HUMANS CAN ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
HOW FAST SYSTEMS CAN ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
I BELIEVE THE NATURE LOSES IN THIS RACE.
ALSO HUMANS ARE VERY MUCH UP TO THE LIMITS TO ADAPTATION.
>> I HEARD FROM SCIENTISTS AT WHAT WE ARE SEEING TODAY THERE IS THE RESULT OF WHAT WE PUT INTO THE ATMOSPHERE 30 YEARS AGO.
EVEN IF EVERYONE STOPPED DRIVING CARS AND WE ZEROED OUT CARBON EMISSIONS THAT IT WOULD STILL GET WORSE.
DO YOU THINK IT'S REALISTIC THAT EVEN IF WE WENT IN THE SAME DIRECTION MAGICALLY AT THIS MOMENT THAT WE CAN STOP OURSELVES FROM CROSSING THAT ONE .5 DEGREE THRESHOLD, MUCH LESS THE 2.
>> WE WILL PROBABLY SEE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 1.5 DEGREES EMERGING IN ABOUT SCENARIOS.
CARBON EMISSIONS IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE CENTURY.
THERE CAN BE A POSSIBILITY TO HAVE A TEMPERATURE FIRST GOING BEYOND 1.5 AND THEN TURNING BACK TO 1.5 AT THE END OF THE CENTURY.
THEN THAT IS THE SCENARIO OF THE LOWEST OMISSIONS AND THEN SCENARIOS WHICH ASSUMES A MUCH HIGHER SPOT IS PROJECTED TO HAVE ABOUT 2.7 AND 4.4 DEGREES OF TEMPERATURE INCREASE BY 2100.
IT DEPENDS UPON THE SOCIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHICH IS LINKED TO THE CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS.
>> SO IF WE ARE FACING A WORLD NOW WHERE ONE .1 DEGREES INCREASE IS GIVING US THESE WILDFIRES AND THESE HURRICANES, THESE JUST CONDITIONS THAT ARE HARDER TO LIVE WITH, WHAT DOES THE WORLD LOOK LIKE AT ONE .5 OR AT 2 IF THIS IS OUR TRAJECTORY?
>> THOSE IMPACTS WILL BE MULTIPLE TIMES WORSE.
FREQUENCY WILL BE MUCH HIGHER AND THE INTENSITY OF THE IMPACTS WILL BE MUCH HIGHER.
SO THE IMPACTS ON THE ECOSYSTEMS IMPACTS OUR LIVES.
WE WOULD BE MUCH WORSE THAN WHAT WE SEE TODAY.
AND THAT IS THE KEY MESSAGES OF OUR SCIENTIFIC PART OF OUR THEREFORE WE HAVE TO REDUCE OUR OMISSIONS AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE AND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THE GLOBAL OMISSIONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE WILL HAVE TO PEEK AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE BUT NOT LATER THAN 2025.
AND RIGHT NOW THE OMISSIONS ARE GOING VERY FAST.
>> ACCORDING TO THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS WE HAVE LOST 2 MILLION PEOPLE TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF NATURAL DISASTERS WHETHER IT'S INTENSE FLOODING.
WHETHER IT'S MASSIVE WILDFIRES.
WHETHER IT'S TYPHOONS AND TORNADOES AND HURRICANES AND IT COST US SOMEWHERE AROUND $4.3 TRILLION.
MY QUESTION IS THAT IF WE HAVE THAT KIND OF INFORMATION, IF WE ARE NOT CONCERNED WITH OR THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO OUR GLOBAL ECONOMY, WHAT WILL MAKE US LISTEN?
>> THE IMPACTS OF RISING TEMPERATURE AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE A DIFFERENT PICTURE FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BURSTING VERSUS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD.
MUCH IMPACTS CAN BE SHOWN IN TERMS OF LOSS IN THE VALUE OF ASSETS.
FINANCIAL LOSS.
HUMAN LOSS AS WELL BUT THE MAJORITY OF LOSS HAPPENING IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD IS AT HUMAN COST.
HUMAN MORTALITY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.
IT'S ABOUT 15 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE REGIONS WITH LESS VULNERABLE >> PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN ASIA OR AFRICA THEY ARE SUFFERING THE COST OF CLIMATE CHANGE 15 TIMES MORE THAN THE DEVELOPED WORLD?
>> IN TERMS OF HUMAN MORTALITY.
AS ONE COUNTRY OR ONE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS UNILATERALLY CARBON EMISSIONS CHANGING WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING AT ALL.
>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED NATIONS EVEN THE MONEY THAT IS COMING FROM THE GLOBAL NORTH TO THE GLOBAL SOUTH HAS BEEN ESTIMATED TO BE FIVE TWO TIMES -- FIVE TO 10 TIMES LESS THAN NEEDED.
SO WHEN YOU ARE IN THIS CONVERSATION WITH COUNTRIES AND DYING AT GREATER RATES.
MY ECONOMY IS CRUSHED MUCH MORE DISPARATE OR FAMILY THEN YOURS IS POINTING TO SOMEONE ACROSS THE TABLE WHO IS A DEVELOPED NATION AND MORE INSULATED FROM SOME OF THE IMPACTS.
HOW DO YOU BRIDGE THAT GAP BECAUSE IT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.
WHY ARE WE PAYING SO MUCH FOR A PROBLEM THAT WE DID NOT HELP CREATE?
>> THERE WAS A CLIMATE CONVENTION AS WELL AS A CLIMATE TREATY AND THEY HAVE ALREADY RECOGNIZED THE DIFFERENCES IN THE IMPACTS AND IN FACT THE PARTIES AT THE CLIMATE CONVECTION AND PARIS REALLY INDICATED THAT THEY WILL PROVIDE FINANCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT TO THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR THEIR MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION EFFORTS.
SPECIFICALLY THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES PROMISE TO DELIVER A 100 ALIEN DOLLARS PER YEAR FOR THIS PERFECT -- PURPOSE.
HOWEVER AS OF THIS MOMENT WE STILL NEED TO SEE.
THAT PROMISED TO BE DELIVERED.
>> SO HOW DO WE ENFORCE THAT?
WE NEED PEOPLE TO SIGN A CHECK AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO CASH IT THE MONEY IS NOT BARE?
>> THERE IS NO WAY TO ENFORCE SUCH AN AGREEMENT.
IT'S A VOLUNTARY THING AND THEREFORE THE WORLD WILL HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT AND AS LONG AS THERE IS A DELAY THAT'S CONTINUING THEN THERE IS PEOPLE SUFFERING DISPROPORTIONATELY FROM THE IMPACT AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE ONCE TO HAVE CREATED THE CLIMATE CHANGE WE SEE NOW SO THERE IS A TREMENDOUS INEQUITY INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS AND THE WORLD UNDERSTAND THAT.
I BELIEVE THE LEADERS IN THE DEVELOPING AND UNDEVELOPED COUNTRIES ARE TRYING TO NARROW THE GAP.
>> WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS PEOPLE HAVE WITH THIS REPORT?
I SEE AN OPPORTUNITY IS THERE TO LOBBY ON WHAT THE FINAL LANGUAGE SHOULD BE AND I WONDER NOW THAT YOU'VE SEEN THIS PROCESS UP CLOSE.
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT HOW THAT'S DONE THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE FEEL LIKE SOME OF THESE PARAGRAPHS OR SENTENCES HAVE BEEN CHANGED BY COUNTRIES WHO HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN CONTINUING FOSSIL FUELS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THEY MAKE MONEY.
>> I DO NOT SPECULATE ON THE INTENTIONS OF OUR MEMBER GOVERNMENTS BUT IT IS CORRECT THAT THE SUMMARY FOR POLICYMAKERS IS A NEGOTIATED DOCUMENT.
AMONGST THE GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS BETWEEN AUTHORS AND GOVERNMENT BUT THE IMPORTANT POINT IS THE SCIENCE ASPECT OF SUMMARY FOR POLICYMAKERS IS INSURED BY THE AUTHORS OF THE REPORT.
>> SO THE SCIENCE IS NOT TAMPERED WITH?
>> NO.
>> POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NEGOTIABLE?
>> HOW THE LANGUAGE WILL BE REFLECT DID, EVERY LINE IS SCRUTINIZED BY A MEMBER OF GOVERNMENTS EVERY WORD HAS TO BE THERE BY CONSENSUS.
AND IN THAT PROCESS THE AUTHORS PROVIDE A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE GUARANTOR OF THIS SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY.
>> SO SCIENCE WILL NOT BE COMPROMISED.
>> IS THERE A BLUEPRINT THAT WE CAN DEVISE FOR HOW A COUNTRY SHOULD GO FORWARD IN THE FUTURE?
IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN SAY TWO COUNTRIES, YOU ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH?
THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO THIS.
YOU AGREED AND WE SEE BY YOUR ACTIONS AND DECISIONS WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAD A NEW REGIME OR FOR WHATEVER REASON SO HOW DO YOU HAVE THAT CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT CONVERSATION THAT FRIENDS SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL FRIENDS AND SAY COME ON, STEP UP?
>> THIS MANDATE DOES NOT INCLUDE A POLICY PRESCRIPTIVE STATEMENT.
>> SHOULD IT?
>> I THINK THAT EVERY COUNTRY DIFFERENT CONSTRAINTS TO WORK WITH AND ALSO DIFFERENT PRIORITIES.
>> WERE ALL GOING TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR.
>> IS TRUE BUT AT THE SAME TIME EVERY COUNTRY NEEDS TO DEVELOP ECONOMICALLY.
>> YOUR PHD IS IN ECONOMICS.
HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT THESE LESS-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ARE GOING TO SUFFER LESS AND HAVE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY?
BECAUSE THEIR INCENTIVE IS TO PULL HIMSELF OUT OF POVERTY AND TO HAVE BASIC NEEDS COVERED.
THEIR PRIORITY IS NOT CARBON EMISSIONS THERE LIKE WE CAN GET TO CARBON EMISSIONS BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE MY PEOPLE ARE FED FIRST.
>> THERE ARE 18 COUNTRIES WHO ARE ABLE TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS AND AT THE SAME TIME INCREASE THEIR GROWTH.
AND OBVIOUSLY THOSE COUNTRIES ARE IN THE DEVELOPED REGION.
AND THE LESSON OF THIS DATA INFORMATION IS THAT THAT PERFORMANCE CAN BE DUPLICATED IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD IF THE COUNTRIES IN THE RICH PART OF THE WORLD PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGICAL OVER SPORT TO THE DECK DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO MAKE THEM ACHIEVE ECONOMIC GROWTH WITH LESS CARBON FOOTPRINT.
THEREFORE THE WAY HOW THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WILL ACHIEVE THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL CRITICALLY DETERMINE WHAT LEVEL OF TEMPERATURE OF THE WORLD WILL HAVE AND THERE THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HAVE A KEY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.
LET THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHILE REDUCING THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS.
IT CAN BE DOABLE.
>> YOU ARE GOING TO BE HANDING OVER THE REINS WHEN THE NEXT LEADER IS ELECTED.
YOU'VE GOT KIDS AND A GRANDCHILD.
I WONDER HOW YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WHEN YOUR GRANDCHILD IS OLD ENOUGH AND THEY ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THEY WILL LEARN ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING AND AT SOME POINT CHILDREN HAVE A TENDENCY TO LOOK AT HER PARENTS AND SAY WHY DIDN'T YOU DO MORE?
>> LIFE CONSISTS OF MANY PRIORITIES AND LIFE ALSO CONSISTS OF A BUNDLE OF PRICES.
NOT ONLY CLIMATE CRISIS BUT ENERGY CRISIS AND FOOD CRISIS.
PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
YOU HAVE TO ALLOCATE YOUR RESOURCES ACCORDING TO THE SCALE OF THE RISKS YOU FACE AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL MAKES THAT DECISION DECISION AND SITS CLIMATE CHANGE IS A PUBLIC PROBLEM IT IS THE GOVERNMENT ROLE THAT MUST BE EMPHASIZED.
ONLY THE GOVERNMENT CAN REDUCE THE OUTCOME THAT CAN FIX THE SYSTEM THAT WAS CREATED.
>> LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
>> WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.