The United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Fifth Assessment Report Working Group II contribution, Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, on March 31 and Working Group III contribution, Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change, on April 12. The reports attempt to provide a “comprehensive, objective and policy neutral assessment of the current scientific knowledge on mitigating climate change.” The two reports discuss evidence of climate change and pathways to reduce global carbon levels.

The Working Group III contribution lays out a variety of climate change mitigation scenarios and their anticipated impacts on carbon levels. For example, the authors suggest that geoengineering approaches, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), will be necessary to reduce carbon outputs. With advances in technology, CCS could facilitate the burning of fossil fuels and biomass for energy while reducing contributions to atmospheric carbon.

Sources: E&E News, Nature, United Nations International Panel on Climate Change 

Updated 5/5/14