Emma Cox, global sustainability and climate change leader at PwC, said:

“As the most advanced and authoritative analysis of the climate system to date, the report issues a stark warning that the impacts are stronger than previously predicted and are only likely to get worse with every fraction of a degree of warming.

“While the analysis underscores that we only have a small carbon budget remaining to limit warming to 1.5degC, meeting this goal is still achievable if we act quickly and decisively. This will require a doubling down of effort this decade, to rapidly accelerate emissions reductions.

“For companies with a global footprint, the report provides the most detailed analysis of where and how your operations, supply chains and markets are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climate science should remain the hard basis for all decision making and target setting. In parallel, it must be used to inform and instigate a strong policy response to close the remaining ambition gap to keep the Paris Agreement objectives alive.”

Commenting on today’s IPCC report and the takeaway actions ahead COP26, Kiran Sura, sustainability and climate change expert and COP26 lead at PwC, added:

“With less than 100 days to COP26, world leaders need to heed what the climate science is telling us – we need higher ambition and an acceleration of action to keep 1.5degC in striking distance. The window of opportunity is narrow so it’s imperative we see more decisive action from world leaders at the forthcoming UN General Assembly in September, the G20 in October and at COP26 in November.

“We also need to ramp up efforts to enhance adaptation and build resilience globally to manage the impacts of climate we have already locked in, especially for those countries on the frontlines of climate change who are least able to adapt. COP26 needs to deliver action on all fronts.”