Who wrote it?
This report represents the cumulative work of 1000s of scientists and researchers and concentrates all their knowledge into one (long) document. The report is published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is a body of the United Nations responsible for advancing knowledge on human-induced climate change.
What is it?
Since its foundation in 1988 the IPCC conducts ‘assessment cycles’ and produces reports that reflect the latest science. This is the sixth round of assessments. The fifth was produced during 2013-2014. Each assessment is divided into three reports produced by separate working groups that focus on different aspects of climate change. This is the report from the second working group that looks at impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability.
Working Group I (WG1): The physical science basis
Working Group II (WG2): Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability
Working Group III (WG3): Mitigation of climate change
Why is it important?
It tells us the state of play. It is humanity’s best resource in understanding how climate change is affecting our lives and will affect our future. Major policy, business, and investment decision-making will be informed by this report for decades to come.
What does it say?
In short, the world’s smoke alarm is ringing. The report is very clear that climate change and its impacts hit everything and everyone. Climate change already is and will continue magnifying the impacts of unsustainable land use, resource extraction, pollution, and social inequities. This report draws direct lines between climate change and serious consequences like humanitarian crises, food insecurity, water scarcity, involuntary migration, and premature deaths. Vitally, the report tells us that we are very nearly out of time. We have less than a minute left in the day to do anything meaningful to minimise these effects.
There are many graphs and figures in the 3000+ page document, but one tells the overall story of this report more than any. The figure is SPM.3/1 shown below, there is a lot going on and it’s hard to take in. However, parts (a) and (b), and specifically (b), tell a simple, and frankly scary story.
At the bottom we have five broad ‘Reasons For Concern’ (RFCs). These encapsulate everything from coral reefs and biodiversity hotspots to extreme droughts and floods to global tipping points that lead to irreversible changes in the climate system.
The Y-axis shows temperature increases from a preindustrial level.
Yellow is destruction, red is irreversible destruction, and purple is doom.
At the bottom we have five broad ‘Reasons For Concern’ (RFCs). These encapsulate everything from coral reefs and biodiversity hotspots to extreme droughts and floods to global tipping points that lead to irreversible changes in the climate system.
The Y-axis shows temperature increases from a preindustrial level.
Yellow is destruction, red is irreversible destruction, and purple is doom.
The report makes clear that the Earth’s average temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is devastating.
Past 1.5°C we see irreversible consequences, particularly affecting coastal, polar, and mountain communities and ecosystems.
Beyond 1.5°C a lot of the tools and adaptations we use to cope with climate change stop working or are nowhere near as effective.
In short, above 1.5°C the consequences of climate change become drastically more severe, and we diminish our ability to do anything about it.
Limiting global warming to 2°C used to be the goal. This is now rightly 1.5°C as above 2°C is well and truly in the purple.
For context, Current policies presently in place around the world are projected to result in about 2.7°C of warming.
The report makes clear that the Earth’s average temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is devastating.
Past 1.5°C we see irreversible consequences, particularly affecting coastal, polar, and mountain communities and ecosystems.
Beyond 1.5°C a lot of the tools and adaptations we use to cope with climate change stop working or are nowhere near as effective.
In short, above 1.5°C the consequences of climate change become drastically more severe, and we diminish our ability to do anything about it.
Limiting global warming to 2°C used to be the goal. This is now rightly 1.5°C as above 2°C is well and truly in the purple.
For context, Current policies presently in place around the world are projected to result in about 2.7°C of warming.
What we’ve learned in the eight years since the last assessment cycle is that the consequences for humanity are happening now, they will get even worse sooner than we thought, and at lower temperature levels. In 2014 we were in the yellow, since then, we have moved towards or are in red. Unique and vulnerable ecosystems such as coral reefs and the poles are at the point of irreversible damage. The report tells us that we have a narrowing window for action. It isn’t closed, but it will be in a matter of years.
