Substantial progress on reducing carbon emissions is needed within the next three years to avoid a catastrophic 1.5-plus degree increase in global temperatures, according to the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The report, which is signed off by Governments across the globe, contains another stark warning to halve emissions by 2030 to contain the worst effects of global warming.

Published earlier this week, the global assessment is the third in a series of major reports to inform policymakers around the world.

Limiting global warming will require major transitions in the energy sector, it says. And this demands “a substantial reduction” in fossil fuel use, widespread electrification, improved energy efficiency, and use of alternative fuels.

Friends of the Earth director Oisín Coghlan said the report shows we must “radically reduce our use of fossil fuels immediately” and pointed to the increasingly cheaper and reliable renewables as viable substitutes.

The IPCC report also sets out the massive investment increase required soon, as well as provision of climate finance for developing countries.

The findings come at a time when countries are rapidly seeking alternatives to Russian oil and gas in light of its recent attack on Ukraine.

These findings are due to loom large at UN political negotiations, which resume in November in Egypt.

The new report also highlights the potential of just transition, stating it can “build social trust, and deepen and widen support for transformative changes”.

“This is already taking place in many countries and regions, as national just transition commissions or task forces, and related national policies, have been established in several countries. A multitude of actors, networks, and movements are engaged,” it says.

Speaking at the launch of the Just Transition Alliance last month – a coalition of unions and environmental groups dedicated to achieving effective climate action without adverse impacts on jobs and communities – the Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan called on the Government to immediately to establish a ‘national just transition commission,’ comprised of representatives of Government, trade unions, employers, affected communities and civil society.

The Just Transition Alliance has said that this commission should be charged with making proposals for an economy-wide framework for a just transition in advance of the publication of legislation.

The alliance has also called on the Government to prioritise the economic sectors and regions most vulnerable to change under the just transition process.

The IPCC echoed that call in its report seeking a call to action for more jobs in the renewables sector, to help the transition. “We know that for every ten jobs in renewable energy, there are another five to ten in manufacturing supply,” it said.

The Just Transition Alliance is an ICTU initiative which includes Fórsa, Siptu, Friends of the Earth and TASC, Ireland’s think tank for action on social change. It aims to work with other like-minded organisations to put the internationally supported just transition model at the centre of Ireland’s official response to the climate crisis.

You can find further details of the report and its detailed findings and recommendations here.