Here are five key ideas that the researchers say are critical to keeping the world safe COAL IS ON THE DOLE (AGAIN!) The 63 dense pages of this IPCC report are littered with qualifications and dense footnotes. But all the verbiage can't hide the scientists' central message. If the world wants to steer clear of dangerous warming, fossil fuels are toast. So for the temperature of the planet, the IPCC believes that coal should finally be retired for good. PIE IN THE SKY GETS REAL… A few short years ago, the idea of a technological fix to climate change was generally seen as the preserve of the eccentric. From spraying things into the atmosphere to cool the Earth to blocking out the Sun with space-based shields, various ideas were mocked, knocked and quickly forgotten. But as the climate crisis has escalated and cutting carbon emissions has proven difficult, researchers have been forced to look again at the role of technology in both limiting and reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. COOLING THE PLANET WITH CASH Tackling climate change has often been delayed due to the perceived high-cost implications. Right now, the IPCC says there is far too much money still flowing towards fossil fuels and not to clean energy climate solutions. The models that incorporate the economic damages caused by climate change show that the global cost of limiting warming to 2C over this century is lower than the global economic benefits of reducing warming. Keeping temperatures well under 2C costs a bit more, but not much, given the avoided damages, and wide range of co-benefits such as cleaner air and water. CURBING DEMAND IS A SECRET WEAPON One of the big differences with this report from previous releases is that social science features heavily. This is mainly focussed on the ideas of reducing people's demand for energy in the areas of shelter, mobility and nutrition.This covers a multitude of areas - including low carbon diets, food waste, how we build our cities, and how we shift people to more carbon friendly transport options. The IPCC believes changes in these areas could limit emissions from end-use sectors by 40-70% by 2050, while improving well-being. EAT THE RICH… OR COPY THEM? According to the IPCC, the 10% of households with the highest per capita emissions contribute up to 45% of consumption-based household greenhouse gas emissions. In essence, the report says that the world's richest people are spending way too much of their money on mobility, including on private jets. So you would think that this would make them good targets for greater taxation or other means of curtailing their emissions? That may well be the case, but some IPCC authors believe the rich have other roles to play in helping the world towards net-zero.