Posted on 31 March 2014
| Yokohama, Japan – A UN climate impact
report, released today, gives the clearest
and most comprehensive evidence yet that
the earth we call home is in deep trouble.
It reinforces the sobering view that climate
change is real, it’s happening now and it’s
affecting the lives and the livelihoods
of people as well as the sensitive ecosystems
that sustain life.
This is the second in
a series of four reports being prepared
by the world’s leading climate authorities
in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC). It assesses the impacts,
adaptation and vulnerability of human and
natural systems, the observed impacts and
future risks of climate change, and the
potential for and limits to adaptation.
Samantha Smith, leader
of the WWF Global Climate & Energy Initiative
says the report highlights, for the first
time, the dramatic difference of impacts
between a world where we act now to cut
emissions, which now come mostly from using
fossil fuels; and a world where we fail
to act quickly and at scale.
“This report tells us
that we have two clear choices: cut emissions
now and invest in adaption - and have a
world that has challenging and just barely
manageable risks; or do nothing and face
a world of devastating and unmanageable
risks and impacts.”
”The report makes it
clear that we still have time to act. We
can limit climate instability and adapt
to some of the changes we see now. But without
immediate and specific action, we are in
danger of going far beyond the limits of
adaptation. With this risk posed so clearly,
we have to hope that the next IPCC report
which is being released in Berlin in April,
will provide us with strong statements on
the solutions that we know exist,” she says.
Despite the warnings
given by the IPCC in its reports over the
past 20 years - reinforced by the release
of the report today - the gap between the
science and what governments are doing remains
huge, says Sandeep Chamling Rai, head of
the WWF delegation to the meeting.
“The science is clear
and the debate is over. Climate change is
happening and humans are the major cause
of emissions, driven mainly by our dependence
on fossil fuels. This is driving global
warming. This report sets out the impacts
we already see, the risks we face in the
future, and the opportunities to act. It
has been accepted by the member governments
of the IPCC. Now it is up to people to hold
their governments to account, to get them
to act purposefully and immediately,” he
says.
The risks of collective
inaction are greatest for developing countries,
says Chamling Rai. “All countries are vulnerable
but developing countries have a greater
sensitivity, with more people living in
poverty and fewer resources to respond to
climate disasters. We need to put in place
those measures that will slow down warming
and put us on a fair and just transition
to a sustainable world. The report shows
that ambitious emissions cuts now can reduce
the risk of climate change in the second
half of this century.”
And the regional assessments
– given in depth in this report – show with
a great degree of certainty what the impacts
will be in the key regions of the world.
“”We now have a better
understanding of how climate impacts will
affect people and nature in different regions.
International adaptation efforts need to
be intensified to adequately respond to
such varied impacts,” says Chamling Rai.
1. Read the full IPCC
WG2 report here
2. Read the IPCC media statement on the
report here
3. Read the IPCC WG I report, The Physical
Science Basis, here
4. Read the World Meteorological Office
(WMO) Annual Climate Report 2014 here
5. Read the World Bank Turn Down the Heat
report here
