It is a summary report looking to the future Stresses the seriousness of the ongoing climate crisis and the urgency of taking action to address it, but focuses on the hope because there is still a chance to curb global warming. The first action repeated the Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change (AR6) with the Synthesis Report (SYR) is reducing emissions and saving fossil fuels.
The text published today integrates the results of the three working groups (physical and scientific foundations (2021), impacts, adaptation and vulnerability (2022), climate protection (2022)) and the three special reports Global Warming of 1.5 published 2018, Climate Change and Land (2019), Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (2019).
This report completes 8 years of work (one year beyond the normal 7 year cycle) under challenging conditions due to the pandemic. “The messages this cycle has brought to our attention are extremely worrying – He says Lucy Perugiawho have been taking part in the climate negotiations since 2003 by providing scientific support to the Italian government delegation – even if they deliver promising solutions which, however, need to be implemented quickly”. Many changes due to past and future emissions are irreversible for centuries or millennia, particularly changes in the ocean, ice sheets, and global sea levels. but immediate action would mitigate the occurrence of extreme phenomena relatively quickly.
Gravity, Urgency, Hope
As mentioned, the messages can be summed up in three words: gravity, urgency and hope. That’s what the report says the importance of keeping the temperature rise below 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, which is critical for many populations and ecosystems such as small islands and regions dependent on melting glaciers and snow. Above this level, many ecosystems and populations will no longer be able to adapt to changes.
Globally, this suggests that we need to reduce emissions to avoid temperatures rising above 1.5°C. At the moment, the commitments from the Paris climate agreement are not ambitious enough and current policies often do not take into account the path outlined in these commitments, so we are on track to lead to an increase in average global temperature that can reach 3.5°C, threatening humanity as a whole represents.
However, there is an opportunity to reverse course and the IPCC report presents a variety of solutions within specific sectors and even across industries. But first of all it is necessary accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, which would reduce air pollution while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The sustainable management of forest and agriculture, the protection of forests are activities that experts point to in order to absorb carbon dioxide, improve ecosystem services and thus the living conditions of many population groups.
The report points this out In order to achieve the reduction in emissions, all possible avenues must be explored. Lucia Perugini says: “All options must be implemented to the maximum of their capacity. We often witness debates that consider as alternatives the possibilities of absorbing emissions (through reforestation or CCS technologies) or reducing them, or that create a competition between one renewable energy source and another. But the science is clear: we must exhaust all available options, and we must do it now.”
reduce emissions
Every tonne of carbon emissions contributes to global warming. With each increase in temperature, the Earth’s hydrological cycle increases, extremes become more frequent and intense, and the ability of the oceans and land to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere decreases. Although some changes due to past and future emissions are irreversible, reducing greenhouse gas emissions limits the increase in global warming. To arrive at these conclusions, the IPCC assessment report combined scientific data elaborated at different levels: observations, climate models, historical data (paleo-record), geophysical knowledge of the processes, which were then integrated into the assessment of socio-economic scenarios put future emissions on possible mitigation pathways and the resulting global warming.
Observations region by region
Another novelty offered by the AR6 is a regional representation of climate change and its consequences. One of these aspects concerns, for example, the assignment of past extreme events to climate change and how these – for example droughts, floods, heat waves, extreme episodes of sea level rise – depend on global warming and thus future greenhouse gas emissions. It is projected that each region will experience increasing numbers of simultaneous and multiple changes in climate impacts.
Forecasts for Europe
With a Global warming of at least 2°C and more, the European region will experience a combination of different climate changes to mid-century, such as:
• Increased heating, extreme temperatures
• Increasing drought and dryness in Central and Southern Europe
• Decrease in precipitation in southern Europe and increase in northern Europe
• Increase in fire risk time
• Rise in mean and extreme sea levels
• Decrease in snow cover
• Decrease in wind speed
Public participation
However, when the report takes the form of a summary that governments can use to make decisions that can no longer be postponed, it underlines this There is also individual responsibility, daily actions that can contribute to national policies, such as B. Low-carbon lifestyles. Here, too, it is reiterated that there can be no climate protection without social justice.
The full summary of the report published by the IPCC
The report, approved during a week-long meeting in Interlaken, highlights the losses and damage we are already suffering and will continue to suffer in the future, particularly affecting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems. The right actions, taken now, could lead to the transformative change that is essential to a sustainable and just world. “Climate justice is the top prioritybecause those who have contributed the least to climate change will be disproportionately affected,” he said Aditi Mukherjione of the 93 authors of this synthesis report, the concluding chapter of the Panel’s sixth assessment.
“Nearly half of the world’s population lives in regions severely affected by climate change. Over the past decade, deaths from floods, droughts and storms have been 15 times higher in high-risk regions,” he added. In this decade Accelerated action to adapt to climate change is essential to close the gap between existing and required adaptation. To keep warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, There is a need to radically, quickly and sustainably reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. Emissions are set to fall today and will need to be almost halved by 2030 if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C.
The solution lies in climate-resilient development: For example, access to energy and clean technologies improves health, especially for women and children; low-carbon electrification, walking, cycling and public transport improve air quality, health, employment opportunities and equity. The economic benefits to human health from improving air quality alone would be about equal to, or perhaps greater than, the cost of reducing or avoiding emissions.
Climate-resilient development becomes increasingly challenging with every increase in warming. For this reason, the decisions that will be made in the years to come will play a crucial role in deciding our future and that of generations to come. To be effective, these choices must be rooted in our diverse values, worldviews, and knowledge, including scientific knowledge, indigenous knowledge, and local knowledge. This approach will facilitate climate-resilient development and enable locally appropriate and socially responsible solutions. “The greatest welfare gains could result from prioritizing climate risk reduction for low-income and marginalized communitiesincluding people living in informal settlements,” he said Christopher Trisos, one of the authors of the report. “An acceleration of climate protection will only be possible if the funds are drastically increased. Insufficient and unequal resources slow down progress.”
There is enough global capital to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions when existing barriers are removed. Governments are key to removing these barriers through public funding and clear signals to investors. Tried and tested policies already exist to achieve deep emissions reductions and climate resilienceas long as they are developed and applied more widely. Political commitment, coordinated policies, international cooperation, ecosystem management and integrative governance are important elements for effective and just climate protection.
By sharing the right technology, know-how and policies, and providing adequate funding, each community can reduce or avoid high-carbon consumption. Simultaneously, With significant investments in adaptation, we can avert heightened risks, particularly for vulnerable groups and regions.
Efficient and equitable conservation of around 30-50% of the Earth’s land area, fresh water and oceans will help ensure a healthy planet. Urban areas offer a global opportunity for ambitious climate action that contributes to sustainable development. Changes in diet, electricity, transport, industry, buildings and land use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, they can make it easier for people to lead a low-carbon lifestyle, thereby also improving health and well-being. A better understanding of the consequences of overconsumption can help people make more informed choices. Transformative change is more likely to succeed when there is trust, when everyone works together to prioritize risk reduction, and when benefits and burdens are shared fairly,” said the IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee. “We live in a diverse world where everyone has different responsibilities and different opportunities to bring about change. Some can make a difference, while others need support to manage change.”