IPCC report: ‘An alarming warning about the repercussions of failing to act’

Faster action is needed to combat the human-induced climate change that is wreaking havoc in nature and affecting the lives of billions around the world.

This is the stark warning of the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, published on Monday, which states people and ecosystems least able to cope are going to be hit hardest.

The world faces unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5°C (2.7°F), according to the analysis by 270 authors from 67 countries. But there is a narrow window of time in which to act.

Scientists warn that even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible, with increased risks to infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements.

https://twitter.com/IPCC_CH/status/1498260694902480903

Professor Daniela Schmidt, from the University of Bristol’s Cabot Institute for the Environment, was co-ordinating lead author on elements of the report, which is the second of three reviews from the global panel of climate researchers.

“This report is an alarming warning about the repercussions of failing to act,” says Schmidt.

“It shows that climate change is a serious and growing danger to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will help guide people locally and regionally how they can adapt and how nature responds to increasing climate risks.

“The scientific evidence is clear and irrefutable: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in joint, focused global action will mean missing an opportunity to secure a liveable future.”

The report highlights the increased heatwaves, droughts and floods that are already exceeding tolerance thresholds for plants and animals, driving mass mortalities in species such as trees and corals.

The impact of these weather extremes occurring simultaneously is becoming increasingly difficult to manage and has exposed millions of people to acute food and water insecurity, especially in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, on Small Islands and in the Arctic.

The IPCC report states that to avoid mounting loss of life, biodiversity and infrastructure, “ambitious, accelerated action is required to adapt to climate change, at the same time as making rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions”.

Hoesung Lee, chair of the IPCC, says: “Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.

“This report recognises the interdependence of climate, biodiversity and people and integrates natural, social and economic sciences more strongly than earlier IPCC assessments. It emphasises the urgency of immediate and more ambitious action to address climate risks. Half measures are no longer an option.”

This latest report also provides new insights into nature’s potential not only to reduce climate risks but also to improve people’s lives. It highlights the opportunities for climate action in cities, which can go hand in hand with a more inclusive, fairer society.

“Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to climate change and provide life-critical services such as food and clean water,” said Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-chair of the working group.

“By restoring degraded ecosystems and effectively and equitably conserving 30 to 50 per cent of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean habitats, society can benefit from nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon, and we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development, but adequate finance and political support are essential.”

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Main photo: Archie Richards

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