Report concludes: ‘Act now on climate change or else ...’

The panel is made up of the world’s leading scientists on climate and the environment and took eight years to compile.

It’s basically the most accurate and up-to-date report on the impact we’re having on the planet and while there’s bad news in there, there’s also some good.

There are plenty of findings in the nearly 3,000-page report but they basically all lead to the same conclusion – we have to act right now, or it will be too late.

The more pollution we produce, the more climate change will accelerate and the more damage and destruction will happen.

What the report says loud and clear is that the longer we delay going green, the worse global warming is going to get.

It’s a bit like a runaway train, it’s much easier for us all to change lots of small habits now which will make big difference rather than us all having to make seismic changes when things have got really bad further down the line.

Every tonne of carbon pollution we can save is absolutely worth it and we’re definitely heading in the right direction, we just need to head there a lot faster and with a bit more drive and urgency.

On the bright side, solar and wind prices are coming down and electric car sales going up.

Those are two seismic changes that are just going to accelerate as more of the world looks to affordable renewable energy instead of burning oil and gas.

We, consumers are becoming more climate aware and making viable environmental choices when it comes to purchasing big things like cars and solar panels for homes and small things like a plant-based lunch.

We must get used to extreme weather happening. The ship on stopping climate change sailed decades ago, but how bad it gets comes down to what changes we make now.

The chairperson of the IPCC, Hoesung Lee, says it’s possible to stay within the 1.5-degree climate temperature rise we hear so much about but that window is fast closing,

"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,” he said.

So while the report has gained a lot of traction because of the messages and how incredibly thorough it is, it’s not all doom and gloom there’s agreement among governments and businesses are responding.

There is also growingnumber of citizens who are making choices with the climate in mind constantly, we just need to accelerate these intentions and slow the runaway train.

Celebrity spot

Singer Ellie Goulding tweeted about the IPCC report calling her millions of followers to action: the best scientists from across the globe have come together to tell us what to do to turn this around.

Our mission is clear, act now and the prize is a future on a restored planet earth.

The solutions are here. Our job is to deploy them. We have global treaties on nature and plastic, we have the best set of young climate activists the world has ever known so instead of climate tears.

Let’s act now.