In a major report released Monday by the United Nations climate science panel, it warned that climate change is already threatening billions and that humanity isn’t doing enough to reduce the suffering. The report warns that nearly half of the world’s population is already vulnerable to climate change. This calls for drastic action on an enormous scale. A third to a quarter of the planet must be preserved to ensure freshwater and food supplies in the future. Plan for coastal cities to protect people from rising seas or storms. More.
With the release of the report, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated that “adaptation saves lives.” “As climate impacts worsen – and they will – scaling up investments will be essential for survival… Delay means death.” The latest edition of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) series, this 3,675-page report details the global consensus on climate change science. This report, however, focuses more on how society and nature are affected and what they can do about it.
Russia’s invasion in Ukraine overshadowed the publication of the report. The sole Ukrainian author had to leave the proceedings to seek shelter. However, a representative from the government attended its final approval by nearly 200 countries. Officials from the United Kingdom, Spain, and Egypt said that the report was an appeal to action. U.S. U.S.
Kerry stated in a statement that “Denial or delay are not strategies. They are a recipe to disaster.” TOUGH CHOICES
The report shows that climate change is affecting the world faster than scientists expected. Despite this, many countries have failed in their efforts to curb the rise of carbon dioxide emissions that are causing global warming. Guterres spoke Monday in a video address, saying that unchecked carbon polluting is putting the world’s most vulnerable on a “frogmarch to destruction”. “The facts can’t be denied. This is a crime.
According to the report, while governments need to reduce their emissions in order to stop global warming, they can also adapt to the changing climate to minimize suffering. This will require large amounts of money, both to finance new technologies and support institutions. To help people in heatwaves, cities can invest in cooling zones. New infrastructure may be needed for coastal communities or they may need to move altogether.
Zinta Zommers (a U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report review editor) said that “the scale of transformation we need is unparalleled in human history.” U.S. investment firms and European companies stated that the report was a wakeup call to the immense risks climate change presents for the financial sector and that few companies are doing enough to adapt.
According to the report, disruptions in economies and food production will lead to millions of people falling into poverty. The report admits that adapting to certain situations will not be easy in some cases.
LIMITING WARMING This report was released three months after world leaders met in Glasgow, Scotland for a climate summit. It highlighted the urgent need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
It says that breaking this threshold will cause irreversible harm to the planet. Every additional degree of global warming will lead to more suffering. “Adaptation does not come with a free pass to freedom from jail. “Adaptation has limits,” said Maarten van Alst, director of Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and co-author of the report.
The report states that although global warming should not be limited to 1.5C, it will significantly reduce the risks to nature, societies and economies. The planet has already warmed to 1.1C. It is expected that it will reach 1.5C within the next 20 years.
“Our atmosphere is on steroids today, doped with fossil fuels. This is already leading us to more extreme weather events, which are stronger, longer, and often more frequent,” Petteri Talas, secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization, said. The report warns that societies won’t be able adapt to a warming world if it isn’t socially inclusive. It says that solutions must consider social justice and include indigenous peoples, minorities, as well as the poor.
Timon McPhearson (an urban ecologist from The New School in New York, and one among the report’s 270 contributors) stated that it is the poorest and most marginalized that are most vulnerable to climate change. Already, climate-related events such as heatwaves and storms are causing significant losses and damage.
According to the report, people in South America, Africa, South Asia, South America, and South America that were highly vulnerable were 15 times more likely than others to die from storms, floods, or droughts in the decade leading up to 2020. Numerous species of animal or plant species have been lost at the local level and others from all over the globe. Sea level rise caused the extinction of Australia’s Bramble Bay melomys rodent. This was noted by Brendan Mackey from Griffith University in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is being decimated by heatwaves from the sea.
The report authors warn that time is running out for society-wide transformations. Hans-Otto Portner co-chaired the IPCC working group that produced the report. He stated, “There is a short and rapidly closing window for securing a living future on the planet.” “We must rise to the challenge.”
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff. It is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.
