Issued on Nov. 2, the report prepared by some of the world's leading experts on climate science, concluded that "continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems."
In short, human activity is contributing to climate change, and we are approaching the point of no return.
Against that backdrop, the landmark agreement between the United States and China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a major breakthrough.
The antagonistic reaction from coal-country Republicans who will lead the next Congress is an even larger disappointment.
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said: "This unrealistic plan that the president would dump on his successor would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs."
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pledged to block President Barack Obama's energy policies for the rest of his term.
Then there's Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the Senate's leading climate skeptic, who is expected to become chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over climate issues. According to the Guardian, Inhofe offered his reaction in a Senate floor speech in which he said "people are trying to resurrect" the notion that there's "actually some truth to the global warming thing."
That's a lot of hot air, even for a senator.
Fortunately, there isn't much that Congress can do to scuttle the agreement announced on Wednesday by President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The accord doesn't require congressional approval and, as the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
China, the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, agreed to cap its carbon emissions by 2030, if not sooner, and to sharply increase its use of renewable energy sources. The United States, the No. 2 emitter, agreed in turn to cut carbon emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025.
Until now, China has never gone beyond vague promises to eventually address the intensity of its carbon emissions. Many other governments refused to reduce emissions, citing China's stance and U.S. refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, a 1997 treaty intended to halt the global increase in carbon pollution.
Critics say China can do nothing for 16 years, but that assumes that the Chinese are willing to ignore the thick cloud of smog that's become a near permanent fixture in Beijing and other major cities, posing a public health threat that could undermine the economy.
Instead, the agreement between the United States and China significantly improves the prospects for a wider international agreement when U.N. climate talks resume next month in Peru and next December in Paris.
To avoid a global catastrophe, climate scientists say it will be necessary to limit warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit through the end of this century. The agreement between the United States and China isn't enough by itself to achieve that goal. It does, however, undercut the GOP argument that China won't act, so the U.S. shouldn't do anything that affects energy costs.
Yes, there is a price to controlling carbon emissions. But the cost of inaction is too steep to ignore.
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