Ice breaker

Originating in Greek mythology, Cassandra was said to be the daughter of the last King of TroyAn ancient city in modern-day Turkey. It is the subject of Homer's epic poem The Iliad. After a ten-year siege, the hero Odysseus finally took the city by hiding a group of Greek soldiers in a vast wooden horse, which the Trojans wheeled into their city. This is the origin of the expression "Trojan horse".. According to the stories, she was given the gift of prophecy by ApolloA US space programme which ran from 1961 to 1972 and took 12 astronauts to the moon and the ancient Greek god of the sun, poetry, and archery., but when she refused his advances, he cursed her so that nobody would ever believe her predictions.

Although Cassandra correctly predicted death, destruction and the fall of Troy, her warnings were never heeded and she was seen as a madwoman.

The metaphor of Cassandra has been used by environmentalists for years. In 1999, one described the environmental movement as a "Cassandra dilemma", as scientists' warnings of the deadly onset of climate disaster were blithely ignored by the disbelieving masses.

Cassandra was ignored until it was already too late. As for humanity, it remains to be seen whether we have acted quickly enough to ward off climate breakdown and extinction. But a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has brought some grave new projections to the fore.

The report includes warnings that global warming is approaching "irreversible" levels, and that "there is a rapidly-closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all".

The AR6 report is being called "historic". The next IPCC report will not be released until 2030, which is also the year by which its authors warn our emissions need to be halved. Some are calling it a "final plea".

It will also inform this year's COP28The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as the Conference of the Parties). , due to be hosted in November in the United Arab Emirates, which experts say will find that we have made little progress towards meeting our goal of halting warming at 1.5C.

Over the past few years, record temperatures and extreme weather events have rendered the effects of climate change undeniable. 2022 was the sixth-warmest year since records began - and the warmest year on record for 28 countries, including the UK. 

According to forecasts, the global average amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is likely to be 419.2 million parts per million (ppm) by the end of this year, compared to 417.2ppm last year. The last time CO2 levels exceeded 400ppm was four million years ago.¹

In some ways, the report signals that we may already be too late. Its writers highlight that it is overwhelmingly likely that, given that the world has already warmed by 1.1C, we will overstep our 1.5C target some time in the 2030s. Some of the damage will be irreversible.

But there are also moments of optimism. Scientists have hope that as-of-yet expensive and unreliable carbon capture technology will develop in the coming years, possibly mitigatingMaking the effects of something less bad. or reversing the effects of "overshooting" our climate targets.²

The writers also applauded the falling costs of renewable energy, which is now less expensive than fossil fuel, stating that now "a shift to clean energy can often save money".

Above all, scientists urge us to remember that it is not all in the hands of policy-makers and business-owners. Individual lifestyle changes such as avoiding flights, saving energy at home and eating more plant-based foods can all have an impact.

Yes: We have not acted fast enough so far, but we have still made some major changes to halt the progression of climate breakdown. This report will spur us into action to achieve our goal.

No: We have ignored warnings for years that the climate is on the edge of total breakdown. ApathyLack of interest or enthusiasm. cannot easily be broken.

Or... Perhaps the report might encourage us to accelerate our preventative action, but the answer will probably have to lie in carbon capture technology now, rather than in preventative measures.