This week on the IAA, we will be looking at some of the international organizations whose efforts stretch across the entire world. Give us your impression of these organizations and their efforts on this forum as new documents are shared throughout the week.
What is the IPCC?:
Well, prior to this reading I did not even know myself. This seems to be one of the leading international organizations that are aiding in combatting the issue of climate change, if not the leader itself. I wrote about the Paris Agreement, and how there are no real consequences of breaking the rules, let alone being required to join at all, and this reminds me a bit (but not as bad in my opinion) of what the IPCC is intending to do with providing a frame of reference for policy makers, but not requiring them to strictly adhere to what they are creating. While this is better than outright forcing actors to comply with their rules, I believe there needs to be something done to push these policy procedures more aggressively before we lose the only planet we have.
Global Report on Food Crises
There will most likely be a war throughout the world within the next 20 years or so on attaining clean water and food. We are seeing it now in Africa, and it is an issue that is growing by the day. The Water Wars are one issue in of itself, and is very different from the issue of food. That being said, in the United States, there is a lot of policy that has been made to help in creating an unnecessary issue on food waste. Items that are a day past the expiration date are tossed in the garbage and into a land pile or burned outright. I know in France they sell this - still very much edible - food at a discounted rate and it has drastically improved the issue of food security there. Makes me wonder if we will ever or could ever implement policy like that here.
The IMF At a Glance:
While I believe some sort of international institution - where the economy and international trade relations are supervised and surveilled - is better than no international institution, the IMF has certainly engaged in some incredibly shady business practices in the past. This article served as a great entry point into learning more about the IMF, but when you see what they publish in their "goals," and compare them to what they have done, they couldn't seem further apart. The use of giving out loans to extremely impoverished areas with little to no education, and demanding repayment at exorbitant rates seems a bit like financial slavery to say the least. Many sell organs just to get by on a chunk of their repayment, and that is a huge issue in many countries now.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is really cool organization. They look at different scientific documents about climate change and is able to provide advice and other scientific information.
I remember reading a different article from the IAA about climate control and how things were looking a lot better than they were, and how people were trying to keep the different indexes in a certain range and reduce the global warming. It was cool to think that these could be interacting with one another. The statistics and data there, could have been provided from the IPCC. Climate change is a big topic of concern right now, but one that can hopefully be fixed and not destroy everything we are working towards.
What is the IPCC?
Now, more than ever, we need international bodies like this to help with our fight against climate change. Climate change statistics and information is changing almost daily, but thanks to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the participating countries will be able to receive regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This will allow them to make the right choices when dealing with climate change and the repercussions.
Furthermore, I thought it was very interesting that "IPCC assessments are written by hundreds of leading scientists who volunteer their time and expertise as Coordinating Lead Authors and Lead Authors of the reports." It is refreshing to see that people want to give their time to better the world around us!
The IPCC was created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Environment Programme. Its purpose is to give policymakers the daily assessments climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. A few things that I learned about this group is that they don’t conduct their own scientific research, they collect research already done.
The reports are then grouped into one of three groups:
Working Group I: the Physical Science Basis
Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change
One thing that made me a fan of this reading and this organization is to see their methodology and the intent behind their actions. They can do all the research possible and build up all these reports. At the end of the day its volunteer work and the people behind the project are passionate about their work. When it comes to the distribution of the reports there is a checks and balance system within their structure. I am eager to see their work and their research reports.
The IPCC is a critical international body when it comes to preserving the environment. As it comes increasingly clear that action needs to be taken the IPCC is the body to take the lead on what should be done. As a major force in the international community they work closely with the United Nations to ensure that the recommendations made are in line with what the UN Climate Conference produces. While the assessments made by the IPCC are not direct orders for how policy should be carried out, they do give countries a good idea on where to start in their own climate policies. This in turn will further international cooperation in order to preserve the global climate.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a necessary component to the global battle against climate change and global warming. It gives an international platform to countries and can be of useful advice to developing countries looking for assistance in preventing climate change. In Central Asia, the effects of climate change are very evident as water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource and countries are beginning to conflict over this key to life. The water conflict that is taking place is between the arid, flat, desert countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan who need water from the mountainous yet also arid republics of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In the springtime, winter runoff floods Tajikistan’s and Kyrgyzstan’s rivers where hydroelectric dams collect this water. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan want to best use their vast water supplies to stimulate their economies through more promoting more sustainable agriculture and hydroelectricity, yet Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan need this same exact water to fund their agriculture and hydrate their populations. In South Asia, the effects of climate change are even more drastic as communities in Bangladesh are going underwater and people are becoming homeless, or climate refugees.
After reading the IPCC fact sheet it is clear to me that this panel is crucial to climate change. I like that they do not tell policy makers what actions to take. I think that this just serves as a helping hand in a way. A lot of policy makers do not like to be told what to do, whether they want to admit it or not. The fact that they just discuss the implications and risks of climate change, lending this helping hand helps with territorial battles, that way no one is stepping on each others toes. I like how the scientists who write these assessments volunteer their time to do this. This made me believe that these scientists know what they are talking about because they are passionate about it, they want to see a change with the climate crisis around the globe. The assessments are reviewed a lot according to the fact sheet which would make policy makers really susceptible to listening to their claims.
The IPCC is clearly a key institution in the fight against climate change. Their assessments are especially useful, as they allow us to properly establish what goals we need to meet in order to fight off the worst impacts of climate change. These estimates were the basis of the various commitments made under the Paris Agreement. I also agree with their approach of not prescribing policies, as this allows national policymakers who have a better idea of what would be most feasible in their country to decide what actions to take. Overall, the strong focus they put on scientific rigor makes the IPCC one of the most credible sources on the potential impacts of climate change.
I have talked at length about China's climate policy in previous discussion posts. On September 2, 2016 China ratified NDC pledges to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and have non-fossil energy sources make up 20% by that time. However, in 2020 they proposed upping their targets to peak emissions before 2030, non-fossil fuels up to 25% by then, and a long term goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. While this is progress, the Climate Action Trackers still rates these pledges as "highly insufficient". Whether or not China reaches peak coal by 2025 will be a good indicator of whether they plan to follow through on their commitments or not.
Since the end of World War II, the fundamental aim of many international organizations has been impacted. From rebuilding the world following World War II's devastation to preserving global security. While their existence has been questioned, others, like Nato, have attempted to remain relevant.
Due to many of their setbacks, some have argued against the effectiveness of their existence. Because of our globalized world, I believe that international organizations that provide a venue for countries to debate their common challenges are necessary, and we should work to ensure that those organizations adapt to the needs of nations in the twenty-first century.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a panel that is much needed in the world's fight against climate change. I think that this panel is a great resource for nations to be informed about the climate change issue without any political bias. I think that having such a panel being accessible to the nations is allowing nations to be able to address the issue of climate change without feeling that they are succumbing to outside parties' demands and recommendations. This organization can inform nations about the scientific, technical, and socio-economic assessment of climate change but without making nations feel that the organization is demanding change. Which results in nations being more open to following recommendations from such an organization. which can result in nations taking communicative action against climate change