Kerry on New Report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
02 November 2014
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, D.C
November 2, 2014
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY KERRY
Release of the Synthesis Report of the Fifth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
This report is another canary in the coal mine.
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are higher than ever, and we're seeing more and more extreme weather and
climate events, whether it's storm surges, devastating heat waves, and torrential rain, across the globe. It's not a
coincidence. With this report, we have yet another round of authoritative, peer-reviewed science to prove it.
The bottom line is that our planet is warming due to human actions, the damage is already visible, and the challenge
requires ambitious, decisive and immediate action.
We can't prevent a large scale disaster if we don't heed this kind of hard science. The longer we are stuck in a debate
over ideology and politics, the more the costs of inaction grow and grow. Those who choose to ignore or dispute the
science so clearly laid out in this report do so at great risk for all of us and for our kids and grandkids.
ENDS