Reactive on IPCC Report

Press release - October 10, 2018
Kinshasa, 9th October 2018: In October, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre industrial levels and examined related greenhouse gas emission pathways. Currently, the climate action pledges of signatories of the Paris agreement fall far short of where we need to be, putting the world on a 3 °C- trajectory. The IPCC report also outlines two main pathways to limit warming to 1.5°C, showing this is not only still possible, but critically important if we’re to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Governments, companies and citizens need to act urgently to cut fossil fuel emissions and stop deforestation

Reacting to this, Congo Basin Senior Campaign Manager Irene Wabiwa has said:

“With regard to the IPCC’s recommendation to stop deforestation,, the Congo Basin plays a key role in limiting global climate below 1.5C. Not only does the region host the world’s second largest rainforest, it also stores more than 30 billion tons of carbon below-ground in the Cuvette Centrale peatland. From a climate perspective, it is a carbon bomb. If this carbon were to be released it would correspond to three years of global carbon emissions.

The Congo Basin governments have a responsibility to protect the forest and the peatlands. We call on the DRC and ROC governments to immediately cancel all illegal logging concessions and to demonstrate credible commitment to protect the peatlands as a contribution to limit global warming to 1.5°C.”

Contact:

Capucine Dayen; Greenpeace Africa International Communication Coordinator; +336 479 71819

Irène Wabiwa Betoko; Greenpeace Africa Senior Forest Campaign Manager; + 243976756102.