In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society Winston Chow – who is also a lead author for two urban chapters in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Working Group II (WGI) assessment report due in February 2022 and a contributing author to the WG I report – explained why the recently released IPCC climate science report communicates the consequences of climate inaction better than previous ones. He also highlighted three key takeaways and emphasised the critical need to achieve net-zero emission goals.