UN Climate Change Report: 3 Things to Know

March 7, 2022

As the leader in green hydrogen production, Plug Power follows environmental reports closely.

In a report released recently, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made it clear: If policy makers and business leaders don’t take aggressive steps to reduce the impact of climate change, certain parts of our planet will no longer be habitable.  

“This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction,” Hoesung Lee, chair of the IPCC, stated. “It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.” 

The report — titled “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” — focuses on the interactions of ecosystems and human society, which are “the basis of emerging risks from climate change, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss and, at the same time, offer opportunities for the future,” the report said.  

Here are three takeaways from the report. The full report can be found here.  

  1. Over the next two decades, the world is expected to reach global warming of 1.5°C (2.7°F). “Even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible,” researchers warned.  
  2. Inaction in addressing climate change will mean increased risks to humankind, including increased heatwaves, droughts and floods, ultimately resulting in mass mortalities.  
  3. The only way to address these gut-wrenching findings is to implement change. Researchers urged decision makers for climate action, including “adequate funding, technology transfer, political commitment and partnership lead to more effective climate change adaptation and emissions reductions.” 

Powering the World with Green Hydrogen 

Plug Power is passionate about providing affordable and accessible green hydrogen to customers around the world. While there are many solutions to help our world reach net-zero emission goals, we believe green hydrogen is the future to safely power 20% of our planet. To do that, Plug is building a green hydrogen ecosystem and powering commercial operations, both large and small. We have more than 50,000 fuel cells currently in operation. Customers are also supported by more than 165 hydrogen sites and more than 450 active fuel dispensers completing a hydrogen fill every 2 seconds. Aside from the benefits of using a safer form of energy, customers also tell Plug that they’ve seen increased productivity and reduced costs as a result of transitioning to green hydrogen fuel cells.  

Though other forms of hydrogen rely on fossil fuels, green hydrogen emanates from renewable energy and plays a key role in reducing the amount of carbon emissions emitted into the air, while creating a stable supply of jobs. By 2025, Plug plans to supply 500 tons per day of liquid green hydrogen to replace 4.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. By 2028, we intend to produce 1,000 tons of green hydrogen per day. 

Ready to power your operations with green hydrogen? Contact us here.