The latest report from the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) warns that left unchecked, climate change will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems.
The Synthesis Report, produced by over 800 scientists and released over the past 13 months, also concludes that humankind has less than two decades to implement strict mitigation activities to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius.
“We have the means to limit climate change,” said R. K. Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC. “All we need is the will to change, which we trust will be motivated by knowledge and an understanding of the science of climate change.”
The Synthesis Report confirms that climate change is occurring around the world, with temperatures rising in an unprecedented manner. “Our assessment finds that the atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, sea level has risen and the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased to a level unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years,” said Thomas Stocker, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.
The report also stresses that greenhouse gas emissions and other anthropogenic drivers have been the dominant cause of warming since the mid-20th century. Continued emissions will cause further warming and long-lasting changes, finds the report.
People who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalised are especially vulnerable to climate change, and a clear link exists between climate change, sustainable development and poverty eradication.
Many of those most vulnerable to climate change have contributed and contribute little to greenhouse gas emissions,” Pachauri said.
While the report emphasises the importance the need for adaptation, it bluntly concludes that adaptation alone is not enough. Greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically reduced to reduce the magnitude of warning and provide more time to adapt to a particular level of climate change, potentially by several decades.
Photo credit: Kris Krüg, flickr/Creative Commons
