IPCC 6th Assessment Report 2 – The Impact

If you missed my summary of Report 1 “Is Climate Change Real?”, you can read it via this link;

Report 1 “Is Climate Change Real?”

Spoiler Alert. The answer is ‘Unequivocally Yes’ and that it is caused by humans

Report 2 focuses on the impact. Given this is a KISSing Sustsinability article, it will be lowlights only.

Climate Change is already having a widespread and often irreversible impact. The most vulnerable people and systems are disproportionately affected

Half of humanity are living in danger zones now. Antonio Gueteres (UN Secretary-General and so a diplomat) said we were “guilty of arson on our only home”. Hardly traditional diplomatic language!

It is essential that we limit global heating to 1.5 oC, which requires a 45% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Current projections are for a 14% increase over the coming decade, so a massive improvement is required immediately. Investments in adaption work, so both need urgency but we must avoid the catastrophe associated with significant global heating

Terrestrial, Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems already see irreversible impacts, 50% of species have moved (either to higher altitude or towards the poles). Observed (i.e. already actually seen) impacts include heat related human mortality increases, coral dying, trees dying, more widespread wildfires and more impactful tropical cyclones

Mass mortality events, species extinction along with glaciers, artic & permafrost melting are already happening and will get worse the hotter the planet becomes

Negative impacts on the following human systems will be seen: Agriculture & Crop Production, Fisheries Yield, Infectious Diseases, Heat & Malnutrition, Mental Health, Displacement (refugees), Flooding, Coastal Damage, Infrastructure and Key Economic Sectors

A key message is that we are interdependent with ecosystems, in other words “A part of, not apart from”

There are 127 key risks which are multiple times higher if global heating is not addressed. Risks are not linear e.g. very high extinction risk doubles from 1.5 to 2.0oC, but increases at least ten-fold at 3oC

Overshooting 1.5oC risks releasing additional greenhouse gases, as we pass ‘tipping points’

Long term migration will occur (i.e. more climate refugees) although adaption helps to mitigate this

Adaption is really important but hard limits are already reached in some areas with the ability to implement climate resistant development projects increasingly limited if emissions do not rapidly decline, especially if 1.5oC is breached

So in summary be must reduce emissions by over 7% per annum immediately, rather than the current projected 2% increase, to avoid “arson” and significant irreversible impacts. And we need to invest in adaption

#sustainability #esg #climatechange

Hard to read. So we must all do all we can, now

Keep KISSing Sustainability, it’s our only hope. Simon xx