The latest IPCC report, released March 2023, highlights the urgency for widespread dramatic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. While the message is clear - act now before it’s too late - it’s also empowering. There are powerful, practical things the world can do to address this emergency.
Let’s get clear on the state of play, and what we can all do to make a difference.
Highlights of the IPCC 2023 Synthesis Report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a group of the world’s leading climate scientists. This Synthesis Report is the final chapter of the Panel’s sixth assessment, and is set to be the gold standard to provide guidance to world leaders as we navigate this crucial decade in addressing climate change. It tells us that the scale and pace of what has been done so far is not enough, and that the same is true for current plans.
Deeper and more drastic, widespread action is required if the world is to avoid the point of no return. But the message is also clear that we do still have a chance.
The IPCC’s Chair, Hoesung Lee, said “This Synthesis Report underscores the urgency of taking more ambitious action and shows that, if we act now, we can still secure a liveable sustainable future for all.” Nature and people in every region on earth have been affected by more frequent and more intense extreme weather events such as heat and rainfall. Food and water insecurity are expected to increase with greater warming, and these become even harder to manage if accompanied by conflict and/or pandemics.
The most vulnerable people and ecosystems - those contributing the least to climate change - are those likely to be hit hardest as the emergency worsens.
In a very real sense, emissions should be decreasing by now and will need to be almost halved by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C (above pre-industrial levels).
The secretary general of the UN, António Guterres, put it succinctly: “This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”
How this affects Australians
In Australia, the last handful of years alone has seen an increase in drastic weather events in the form of major bushfires and flooding on an unprecedented scale. As we covered almost a year ago, when looking at the 2022 IPCC Report on climate change, Australian temperatures are set to rise drastically if change is not implemented. The number of annual days over 40 degrees celsius will increase significantly, impacting our weather and climate, food sources, extreme events and life in general.
How every Aussie can address climate change - and save money
The largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Australia (which blanket the earth and cause global warming) is the generation of electricity. This is good news for us because we already have the technology - and the access - to allow us to use renewable resources.
In Australia we’re very fortunate to enjoy an abundance of sunshine across our beautiful country, making it much easier to harness the sun’s energy as the renewable resource it is.
Climate change was one of the drivers behind the creation of Plico. Our founders knew that solar was one of the answers - and they knew that having solar + battery was a game-changer. That’s why our model is different from everything else you see in the solar industry - there are no big upfront costs, and you pay one low weekly fee across 10 years. Plus with a solar battery, you can access your energy during blackouts and outages.
Installing a solar + battery solution is a very powerful step towards lowering your household’s contribution to climate change, while saving money on energy bills.
If you’d like to find out how much you could save, check out our Savings Calculator.
There are lots of other things you can do to make a difference in your corner of the world too. Every time you ride your bike, take the bus, car pool or walk instead of driving your car, you’re preventing more carbon emissions being sent into the atmosphere. Health and social benefits arise as well. When you grow and cook your own food, you reduce the food miles of your plate in addition to removing your contribution from emissions attributable to farming.
The beauty of all these solutions? In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, they are very real ways to reduce your cost of living.
When you join Plico, you become part of a powerful movement for positive change. Since Plico’s launch in 2019, our fleet of solar + battery installations has reduced CO2 emissions by over 8366 tonnes. Now that's what we call real action.
So when you think about making this change for your household, your family and your community, you can also smile knowing you’re part of a bigger movement. A movement that’s making a real difference.
If you’d like to find out more about installing your own solar + battery solution and being part of the Plico community, talk to the friendly team. Not only will you be reducing your carbon footprint and joining the fight against climate change, but you'll also be able to access power during night times, blackouts and outages too!
Take real action today and book in your obligation-free call today. You can view our different solar + battery systems or calculate your projected savings with our Solar Savings Calculator. You can also get in touch with one of our switched-on team members by calling 1300 175 426 to see how a solar + battery system can help you save.
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