Explained | UN report delivers ‘final warning’ on climate crisis. Here are some key takeaways

The United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released what is being described as a sobering report, with the bottom line being that the time on saving the planet is running out. The Synthesis Report of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) was published on Monday (March 21) and is likely the final one of the series.

Why is the report important?

The mammoth Synthesis Report (SYR) of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) comprised some of the most crucial findings about the knowledge of climate change, its impact and risks and how they can be mitigated and adapted to.

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The important summary was a part of the six-part research which has now been completed after five years and draws on the findings of hundreds of scientists to provide a comprehensive assessment of the climate crisis. The 37-page document was made following a week of deliberations in Interlaken, Switzerland.

Extreme weather events are set to intensify

The findings also come as the world is witnessing the adverse effects of human-induced climate change including extreme weather events and widespread changes in our natural ecosystems, said the report. Additionally, these effects have also impacted people particularly, “Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected,”the report noted.

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It also said that there is very little chance of keeping the world from warming by more than 1.5 degree Celsius, which the governments had previously pledged to avoid. However, since the global temperature has also risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius experts said that there is a chance it might breach the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold. The report has also said that the impacts related to this rise in temperature are also set to intensify.

According to the report, approximately 3.3-3.6 billion people are “highly vulnerable” to climate change while increasing weather and climate extreme events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security. The IPCC report also notes the disparity between rich nations and poorer countries, as the former has largely contributed to the rise in carbon dioxide emissions during industrialisation.

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The emissions which to this day are present in the air but the brunt of which is being witnessed by the citizens of poorer countries who suffer due to the extreme weather events and are “up to 15 times more likely to die in floods, droughts and storms,”said Science panel chief Hoesung Lee as per Associated Press.

Rise in temperature and concentration ofgreenhouse gases

“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,”said the IPCC report, while also recognising the role of natural changes to the Earth’s climate. However, the report finds that out of the 1.07 degrees Celsius of the 1.09 degrees Celsius of the Earth’s global surface temperature rise is due to greenhouse gases associated with human activities.

“It has always been clear in the IPCC and in climate science, that it's not very likely that we always will stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius”, said Dr Oliver Geden a member of the report’s core writing team, as per BBC. Extreme heat events have resulted in human mortality and morbidity, the report stated and heat waves as well as heavy rain has become more frequent and intense since the 1950s.

The increases in well-mixed greenhouse gas concentrations are “unequivocally” caused by human activities and their consequential emissions. At least 42 per cent of the current cumulative net carbon dioxide emissions occurred between 1990 and 2019, said the report.

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In 2019, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere was higher than at any time in at least two million years while the concentration of methane and nitrous oxide was higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years.

Is it too late?

Once the global temperatures cross the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold, “the risks are starting to pile on,” said report co-author Francis X. Johnson to Associated Press. The report also mentions “tipping points” around that temperature which include the extinction of species like coral reefs, irreversible melting of ice sheets and sea level rise of several metres.

While UN chief Antonio Guterres has insisted that “the 1.5 degree limit is achievable”, some scientists and authors of the report are sceptical and said that reaching that threshold is “inevitable,” reported AP.

The report also notes that if it continues its consumption of fossil fuels either existing now or proposed the temperature will rise to at least two degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Although the data is from a few years ago, it does not account for the rise in the use of coal and natural gas recently which has been attributed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, the authors of the report have also suggested numerous methods for adaptation which include reforms in agricultural practices, urban greening, and restoration of wetlands and upstream forest ecosystems have been effective in reducing flood risks and urban heat.

The report also calls for a combination of both non-structural and structural measures. Non-structural measures, like early warning systems, disaster risk management, climate services and social safety nets have broad applicability across multiple sectors, said the report.

The IPCC has also said that the emissions must be halved by the mid-2030s to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius and called for countries and communities around the world to find ways to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

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This also included the use of alternative energy options like wind and solar, using electric vehicles, promoting the use of public transport or enabling active mobility in urban areas like walking or cycling, and so on.

The IPCC chief told the AP that they do not tell nations what they need to do in order to limit the worst warming, adding “it’s up to each government to find the best solution.” He added, “The pace and scale of what has been done so far and current plans are insufficient to tackle climate change. We are walking when we should be sprinting.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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