The biggest scare that came out of the IPCC’s mitigation report (PDF) was that it *gasp!* might actually cost some money. The report is not explicit on when action should take place, but it’s not going to cost that much. Even the most stringent target can be met at 0.1% of the GDP. The report also offers a number of strategies:

The report suggests a number of strategies for reducing emissions, including:

• Improving energy efficiency in buildings.
• Switching from coal to sources of renewable energy like solar power.
• Increasing fuel efficiency in vehicles.
• Improving crop and land management.
• Introducing economic measures, such as energy incentives or carbon trading initiatives.

According to the report the aim of reduction has been placed at an 85% cut to emissions by 2050 and must be initiated before 2015, or perhaps a bit sooner…

Decision-making about the appropriate level of global mitigation over time involves an iterative risk management process that includes mitigation and adaptation, taking into account actual and avoided climate change damages, co-benefits, sustainability, equity, and attitudes to risk. … if the damage cost curve increases steeply, or contains non-linearities (e.g. vulnerability thresholds or even small probabilities of catastrophic events), earlier and more stringent mitigation is economically justified.

There is a small discussion within the report of feedbacks that would be dangerous, non-linear and would make us pretty vulnerable, see footnote 37 for more. The message is still clear - countries need to get their act together soon. The economy will not suffer - but we have to start investing a lot of money into the environment.

Government funding in real absolute terms for most energy research programmes has been flat or declining for nearly two decades (even after the UNFCCC came into force) and is now about half of the 1980 level.

In this era, and the problems that we’re facing today this sort of inaction is completely unacceptable. We are facing a report that is giving us real answers, real solutions and for a low cost. If it were an insurance company it would be selling out - this is our earth, our environment, our stability and our life. We’re already seeing huge effects of global warming displacing people (alternate source). The time to act is now.