International Climate Heroes
Unveiling Fossil Fuels' Role in Global Warming
Since the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution in 1760, it was visibly clear that mining and burning fossil fuels polluted our air and water. Over time, medical professionals have linked this pollution to increased rates of cancers, asthma, and other negative health outcomes. A recent modeling study conducted by an international team of researchers in June 2023 estimates that air pollution from fossil fuel use in industry, power generation, and transportation contributes to 5.1 million extra deaths annually worldwide.
Initially, though, it was not apparent that mining and burning fossil fuels would lead to a warming planet. That is in part because the greenhouse gases that create a blanket of pollution around the earth, trapping some of the heat that would normally go back out into space, are invisible and scentless. It wasn’t till the 1850s that scientists discovered the heat-trapping properties of carbon dioxide. Since then, so many have dedicated their time and careers to studying and researching this existential problem. In the process, they discovered that methane, the main component of natural gas, is 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere.
The IPCC and Advances in Climate Science Understanding
By 1988, the scientific consensus on global warming impacts was so alarming that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established. The IPCC regularly delivers comprehensive scientific reports on climate change, with experts worldwide volunteering thousands of hours to review peer-reviewed research. In 1990 and 1992, the IPCC's first reports confirmed that human-generated greenhouse gas emissions were contributing to climate change, that some warming had already occurred, and that doubling atmospheric CO2 would likely cause 1.5 to 4.5°C of warming. These reports highlighted the global impact of climate change and the urgent need for international cooperation.
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Over the years, scientists have developed sophisticated techniques to understand and predict climate change. Methods include drilling deep ice cores in Antarctica to study past warming levels, using advanced satellites to measure methane and carbon emissions, and deploying supercomputers for more accurate climate modeling. Scientists around the world continue to work together to provide information so that the world can take action.
But the world has been slow in taking action, in large part because fossil fuel interests have spent and continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to create doubt and delay action. Part of their strategy is to accuse the IPCC of being alarmist, but the opposite is true. The inherent conservatism of scientific methodology and the IPCC's consensus process often underestimate climate change's pace and severity. Scientists require extensive data before making claims, while the IPCC's need for near-unanimous agreement among hundreds of scientists and government representatives leads to lowest-common-denominator conclusions. Additionally, research published after each IPCC report's submission deadline isn't included, meaning reports can lag behind the latest findings. This systematic caution has repeatedly resulted in actual warming and impacts outpacing IPCC projections, with Arctic ice melt, sea level rise, and extreme weather events occurring faster than predicted.
The latest IPCC reports highlight a stark reality: decades of inaction have brought us to a critical tipping point, where failing to rapidly transition from fossil fuels risks triggering climate catastrophe and irreversible changes. To convey the urgency of this moment, climate scientists are increasingly using personal stories, art, social media, and tangible demonstrations to connect with broader audiences and make the impacts of climate change more relatable.
Climate scientists have also notably shifted their tone and communication style in recent years, moving from purely dispassionate scientific language to more emotionally direct and urgent messaging that reflects their growing alarm about climate change. During the release of recent reports, many IPCC scientists have spoken of being "terrified" by the findings and have described feeling "grief" and "rage" at the lack of adequate action. Some have even broken down during presentations of their findings, showing the emotional weight of their work.
We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for all of their efforts and for their concern for the Earth and its inhabitants.
​Conference of the Parties (COP)
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The Conference of Parties (COP) meetings began in 1995 in Berlin, following the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These annual conferences serve as the supreme decision-making body for international climate action.
The preparation for each COP is extensive and involves year-round work on multiple levels:
Technical: Year-round technical meetings occur between conferences. Teams compile emissions data, analyze reduction scenarios, and model pathways to meet temperature targets. They review IPCC reports, and assess current policies, technology costs, and implementation barriers.
Diplomatic: Each COP involves complex multilateral negotiations on issues like emissions targets, climate finance, and technological cooperation. Success requires building consensus among nearly 200 countries with diverse interests and economic capabilities. Countries form negotiating blocs and prepare detailed position papers way in advance of the meeting.
Logistical: Host nations spend 18-24 months preparing venues, security, and infrastructure for tens of thousands of delegate attendees. This includes setting up translation services for the UN's six official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish), plus additional languages as needed. They must also prepare for the additional thousands of observers, media, climate activists and others who attend.
The Historic 2023 COP28 Meeting in Dubai
The COP28 meeting in Dubai in 2023 was the largest in history by far. Almost 86,000 participants attended, including heads of state, government officials, industry leaders, academics, civil society representatives, climate scientists, business leaders, humanitarian organizations, activists, and journalists.
Cop28 was particularly momentous as it marked the conclusion of the first ‘global stocktake’ of the world’s efforts to address climate change under the Paris Agreement. The stocktake affirmed that we are not on track to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a target set at COP21 in Paris in 2015, and it outlines bold actions for Governments and stakeholders to urgently undertake in this critical decade to keep 1.5 within reach.
COP 28 was also historic in that it included the first explicit call for a “just, orderly, and equitable” transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. While the fossil fuel language was historic, many activists criticized the final text for loopholes and lack of firm phase-out dates. Despite mixed results over the years, COPs remain crucial as the primary forum for coordinating global climate action and holding nations accountable to their commitments. ​
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