Taking action now can secure future: IPCC report on climate change

Climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet, by taking action now humans can secure the future, said a report by the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday (28 February). 

The report, "Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability", states that human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks.  People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit.

The Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II report, was approved on Sunday, 27 February 2022, by 195 member governments of the IPCC, through a virtual approval session that was held over two weeks starting on 14 February.

IPCC scientists delivered a stark warning through the report about the impact of climate change on people and the planet, saying that ecosystem collapse, species extinction, deadly heatwaves and floods are among the "unavoidable multiple climate hazards" the world will face over the next two decades due to global warming.  

"This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction," said Hoesung Lee, chairperson of the IPCC.

"It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks," Lee added. 

The world faces unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5°C (2.7°F). Even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible. Risks for society will increase, including to infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements, the report stressed. 

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, the report added. 

It also found that so far, progress on adaptation is uneven and there are increasing gaps between action taken and what is needed to deal with the increasing risks; and the gaps are largest among lower-income populations. 

The Working Group II report is the second instalment of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which will be completed this year.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the first report, issued last August, a "code red for humanity", and said that "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe."

Guterres said the world's biggest polluters are guilty of arson of our only home.

In the face of such dire evidence, it is essential to meet the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, and the science shows that will require the world to cut emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

"This report recognizes the interdependence of climate, biodiversity and people and integrates natural, social and economic sciences more strongly than earlier IPCC assessments," said Hoesung Lee; adding "It emphasises the urgency of immediate and more ambitious action to address climate risks. Half measures are no longer an option."

Scientists point out that climate change interacts with global trends such as unsustainable use of natural resources, growing urbanisation, social inequalities, losses and damages from extreme events and a pandemic, jeopardizing future development.

Overall, the report, which provides extensive regional information to enable Climate Resilient Development, underlines the urgency for climate action, focusing on equity and justice.

Adequate funding, technology transfer, political commitment and partnership will lead to more effective climate change adaptation and emissions reductions, it added.