IPCC report issues ‘dire warning’ about inaction

March 4, 2022

A report published by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has outlined the “dangerous and widespread disruption” caused by human-induced climate change and warned about the “consequences of inaction”.

The report found that several global trends, such as unsustainable use of natural resources, growing urbanisation, social inequalities, losses and damages from extreme events and a pandemic were interacting with climate change and jeopardising future development.

Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group II, said: “Our assessment clearly shows that tackling all these different challenges involves everyone – governments, the private sector, civil society – working together to prioritize risk reduction, as well as equity and justice, in decision-making and investment.”

The IPCC said that ambitious, accelerated action is required to adapt to climate change, at the same time making rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

In enabling the conditions for climate-change adaptation, the IPCC report stated that upfront investments of financial resources would be required and highlighted the need to build business cases for adaptation, accountability and transparency.

The report suggested that removing barriers to finance was fundamental to accelerating adaption, especially for vulnerable groups and geographies, suggesting the need for public-private partnerships.

The IPCC also highlighted in its report the need to enable climate-resilient development, stating that the private sector, alongside governments and civil society, needed to make inclusive development choices that prioritised risk reduction, equity and justice.

Overall, the IPCC report is a “dire warning” of the “grave and mounting threat” that climate change poses to the world, as it faces multiple climate hazards with global warming of 1.5°C and additional severe impacts if it exceeds this level.

Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group II, said: “The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly-closing window to secure a liveable future.”

Check out our previous coverage of last years landmark IPCC report: "Human activity is “unequivocally” the driving force behind climate change, a newly published report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in a grim new report published last week."

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