In 2023 the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its annual report on the current state of global warming and things are not looking good.
The goal is to avoid reaching a 2.7 ° F temperature rise above preindustrial levels. With that warming, the consequences for people and ecosystems would be devastating, the report explains.
The IPCC also calculated that we must cut emissions to half by 2030 to avoid exceeding the limit temperature. The experts called for “deep, rapid and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions in all sectors.”
The main problem is that in the last five years, between 2018 and 2023, emissions have increased instead of decreasing, despite warnings of the scientific community. “The pace and scale of what has been done so far, and current plans, are insufficient to tackle climate change,” they said.
The report also reaffirmed the scientific evidence that unequivocally proves climate change results from man-made global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.
The report also explained that consequences are already visible. It also showed that some climate impacts are already so severe we cannot adapt, leading to losses and damages.
One of the most evident consequences of climate change is extreme weather: floods, fires, heavy rain, and others. The level and speed of glacier retreat have been unmatched for at least 2.000 years.
Drastic weather increases the risk to human health and ecosystems. The IPCC states, “in every region, people are dying from extreme heat.” Pollution is also a concern, as the concentration of CO2 in the air has been unmatched for at least 2 million years.
The report warns that warming can increase climate-driven food and water insecurity. In coastal areas, coral reefs that supported ecosystems that gave livelihood and food to communities are now dying from rising ocean temperatures.
The report, approved during a week-long session in Interlaken, Switzerland, states that climate change effects are also difficult to manage when combined with other problems like pandemics, conflicts, or war.
“Climate justice is crucial because those who have contributed least to climate change are being disproportionately affected,” said Aditi Mukherji, one of the 93 authors of this Synthesis Report, in a press release by the IPCC.
Deaths related to climate change are more likely in vulnerable areas: “In the last decade, deaths from floods, droughts, and storms were 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions,” Mukherji added.
The IPCC found that carbon removal is necessary to avoid limiting warming: cutting emissions is not enough anymore. There is more than a 50% chance that global temperature rise will reach or surpass 2.7° F in this or the next decade.
However, it was not all doom. The report also focused on solutions to the problem: the first and most straightforward is to shift away from burning fossil fuels, the number one cause of global warming.
According to the IPCC, adaptation to climate change will be essential for a sustainable future. “The solution lies in climate-resilient development,” the report explains: a combination of measures to adjust with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions.
For this to happen, the report continues, financing must significantly increase in the next decade. The experts concluded there is “sufficient global capital to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if existing barriers are rapidly reduced.”
The authors also claim there are tested and tried policies that have worked to achieve deep emissions reductions and sustainable adjusting to climate change. They must apply them more widely, and political commitment is essential.
The most important message of the panel is that immediate action is crucial. The experts explained that “climate resilience becomes progressively more challenging.” That is why the changes and choices we make in the next few years will be critical for our future as a species.
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