IPCC CONFIRMS THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY WILL FURTHER WARM THE EARTH, WITH DRAMATIC EFFECTS ON WEATHER, SEA-LEVELS AND THE ARCTIC FRI

The new report further states that greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would induce changes in the oceans, ice caps, glaciers, the biosphere, and other components of the climate system.

IPCC confirms that human activity will further warm the Earth, with dramatic effects on weather, sea-levels and the Arctic Stockholm, 27 September 2013 - A major international assessment of climate change adopted here by 110 governments provides conclusive new scientific evidence that human activities are causing unprecedented changes in the Earth’s climate.

Produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988, the report confirms that it is extremely likely (95-100% probability) that most of the warming since 1950 has been due to human influence.

The new report further states that greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would induce changes in the oceans, ice caps, glaciers, the biosphere, and other components of the climate system. Some of these changes would very likely be unprecedented over decades to thousands of years. Limiting climate change would require substantial and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases.

“Multiple lines of evidence confirm that the extra heat being trapped by greenhouse gases is warming the Earth’s surface to record levels, heating the oceans, raising sea levels, melting ice caps and glaciers, and changing weather patterns and extremes,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.

“The IPCC report demonstrates that we must greatly reduce global emissions in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. It also contains important new scientific knowledge that can be used to produce actionable climate information and services for assisting society to adapt to the impacts of climate change,” he said.

“Climate change is a long term challenge but one that requires urgent action, not tomorrow but today and right now, given the pace and the scale by which greenhouse gases are accumulating in the atmosphere and the rising risks of a more than 2 degree C temperature rise,” said UN Under Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "For those who want to focus on the scientific question marks, that is their right do so. But today we need to focus on the fundamentals and on the actions. Otherwise the risks we run will get higher with every year."

“A universal new UN climate agreement by 2015 is critical, backed by supportive voluntary initiatives such as those managing down short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon. As work under the inclusive Green Economy shows, the benefits of a transition to a low carbon future are multiple from improved public health, food security and job generation to combating climate change now and for future generations,’ he added.

The role of the IPCC is to supply policy-relevant information about climate change to the world’s governments. Its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) will be considered by negotiators responsible for concluding a new agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015.

Some of the report’s key findings include:

The global mean average surface temperature rose by 0.89°C from 1901 to 2012. Each of the last three decades has been warmer than all preceding decades since 1850. In the Northern Hemisphere, 1983-2012 was likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 1400 years. The first decade of the 21st century has been the warmest of all (WMO’s The Global Climate 2001-2010 estimates the global average surface temperature for that decade at 14.47°C). Global average temperatures will likely rise by another 0.3°C to 0.7°C in the period 2016-2035. Averaged over the period 2081-2100, the global surface temperature is likely to exceed pre-industrial levels by 1.5°C or even (depending on future greenhouse gas emissions) 2°C.

Changes in many extreme weather and climate events have been observed since about 1950. It is very likely that the number of cold days and nights has decreased and the number of warm days and nights has increased on the global scale. In in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, it is likely that the frequency of heat waves has increased.

It is virtually certain that the upper ocean (down to 700m) has warmed from 1971 to 2010. The deep ocean below 3000m has also likely warmed since the 11000s, when sufficient observations became available. Ocean warming accounts for most of the change in the amount of incoming solar energy stored by the Earth, accounting for about 93% of it between 1971 and 2010. The global ocean will continue to warm during the 21st century. Heat will penetrate from t he surface to the deep ocean and affect ocean circulation.

The rate of sea level rise since the mid-19th century has been larger than the mean rate during the previous two millennia. The global mean sea level rose by around 19 cm from 1901 to 2010 due to increased ocean warming and melting glaciers and ice sheets. The rate of rise accelerated between 1993 and 2010, and it is very likely to increase further during the 21st century and beyond. The report notes that, during the last interglacial, when the climate was 2°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, maximum global sea levels were 5 to 10 meters higher than they are today.

Seawater has become more acidic (its pH has decreased by 0.1) since the beginning of the industrial era due to humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions; it will continue to acidify during the 21st century.

It is very likely that the Arctic sea ice cover will continue to shrink and thin and that Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover will decrease during the 21st century as global mean surface temperature rises Some scenarios foresee a nearly ice-free Arctic Ocean in September before mid-century.
There is very high confidence that glaciers have continued to shrink and lose mass world-wide, with very few exceptions. By 2100, glacial volume could, under one scenario, decline further by as much as 35-85%. Meanwhile, the extent of Northern Hemisphere snow cover has decreased since the mid-20th century, especially in spring, and this decline, too, will continue.

It is likely that human influences have affected the global water cycle and its patterns since 1960. For example, in recent decades precipitation has increased in the mid-latitude land areas of the Northern Hemisphere.

Three years in the making, the “Physical Science Basis” volume of the Fifth Assessment Report was produced by over 250 scientists. Additional volumes on impacts, mitigation and a synthesis will be released over the coming year. The IPCC does not conduct new research. Instead, its mandate is to make policy-relevant assessments of the existing worldwide literature on the scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of climate change. Its reports have played a major role in inspiring governments to adopt and implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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UNEP Signs Agreement to Improve Monitoring of Hundreds of International Environmental Accords Mon

UNEP, under whose auspices most of the agreements were negotiated, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI - Working Group on Environmental Auditing, WGEA) to ensure that some 280 Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) dedicated to supporting the global environment are properly implemented.

UNEP Signs Agreement to Improve Monitoring of Hundreds of International Environmental Accords Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director (l) and Alar Karis, Chair of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing signing the Memorandum of Understanding at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.

Nairobi, 09 September 2013 - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a new agreement with one of the world's most respected global auditing bodies to track progress towards the implementation of international environmental agreements covering climate change, hazardous waste, biodiversity, and other issues critical to the future of the planet.

UNEP, under whose auspices most of the agreements were negotiated, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI - Working Group on Environmental Auditing, WGEA) to ensure that some 280 Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) dedicated to supporting the global environment are properly implemented.

FURTHER RESOURCES
Auditing the Implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs): A Primer for Auditors
UNEP Division of Environmental Law & Conventions
The environmental agreements are intended to deliver numerous benefits in addressing food, energy and water security, ensure progress towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and support the post-2015 development agenda.

The new MoU was signed at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi by UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, and Auditor General of Estonia and Chair of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing Alar Karis.

"Improving the monitoring and evaluation of actions taken by governments, or groups of governments, to honour environmental commitments will play a key role in global efforts to meet the range of internationally-agreed targets that can deliver inclusive sustainable development for all," said Mr. Steiner.

"This MoU paves the way for closer cooperation between UNEP and auditing institutions worldwide to evaluate whether government actions to tackle environmental challenges have produced the intended results, how gaps can be bridged, and whether environmental policies are being implemented in full compliance with international standards," added Mr. Steiner.

Despite the major success of some MEAs, such as the Montreal Protocol which has enabled reductions of over 98 per cent of all global consumption of controlled ozone-depleting substances, progress towards meeting other international targets has been slower.

UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO-5) report, released last year, assessed 90 of the most critical internationally-agreed environmental goals and objectives, and found that significant progress had only been made in four.

Audits from SAIs can provide reliable information for elected officials about their government's performance in meeting environmental targets. In turn, this can assist elected officials in reviewing successes, and identifying priority areas for action.

Effective environmental audits have been linked to improved water quality in rivers, strengthened protection of flora and fauna, and reduced desertification and pollution. Benefits to environmental governance include the development of new legislation and regulations, and stronger compliance with those that already exist.

Improved environmental auditing can also assist in achieving the aims of new multilateral treaties, such as the Minimata Convention on Mercury which aims to reduce global emissions of the toxic metal. Negotiations - convened by UNEP - were finalized earlier this year and the treaty is set to be signed by member states at a conference in Japan in October.

INTOSAI - WGEA figures show that since UNEP first began working with 112 of its national audit offices six years ago, the number of environmental audits has grown significantly. The number of MEA-related audits carried out between 2009 and 2011 grew by roughly one third.

The new MoU with INTOSAI will support UNEP's mandate to promote the development and facilitation of international environmental law, governance and policy.

Through its Division of Environmental Law & Conventions (DELC), UNEP promotes inter-linkages among environmental conventions and agreements, supports MEA Secretariats and UN member states in implementing their treaty obligations, and encourages government participation in regional and global environmental fora.