Recount

Climate policy rests on false assumptions: that 2°C is safe, and that significant fossil fuel use remains possible without crossing catastrophic thresholds.

The report highlights that several key tipping points have already been breached. West Antarctic glaciers are now in “unstoppable” collapse, locking in 1–4 metres of sea-level rise. Arctic summer sea ice has melted past critical thresholds, threatening the stability of permafrost and methane stores, accelerating further warming, and reducing Earth’s ability to reflect solar radiation. These changes indicate we are entering a phase of rapid, self-reinforcing climate instability.

Ultimately, the report makes clear that 2°C is not a safe guardrail—it is the boundary between dangerous and very dangerous climate change. It is also a full degree above any temperature experienced in the history of human civilisation. The authors call for a complete re-evaluation of climate targets and risk assessments, warning that current policies underplay the urgency and scale of the crisis. A much stronger, precautionary approach is now essential to protect global systems and communities from catastrophic climate disruption.

Ian Dunlop, former Chair of the Australian Coal Association, uses his foreword to condemn decades of political and corporate denial on climate change, especially in Australia. He argues that rising emissions and worsening climate impacts demand emergency action, not the gradual responses still being pursued. Criticising the 2°C target and limited carbon budgets as dangerously inadequate, Dunlop urges NGOs and investors to reject the official narrative and push for honest, realistic solutions that match the true scale of the crisis.