IPCC Press Conference 28 February 2022

Slate: IPCC Report Presser

Duration 01:08

Clobbered by climate change: nearly half of humanity ‘highly vulnerable’, with dramatic consequences if emission cuts are insufficient, says new IPCC report

While some four out of 10 people in the world are already living under the threat of climate change, today’s children could experience four-to five-fold increase in extreme weather events in their lifetimes, with dramatic impact on lives, health, and security, according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released today.

The landmark report presents precise scenarios for the near-term (up to 2040), mid-term (2041-2060) and the long-term (2081-2100).

Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, said “Our report is a blueprint for the future of this planet. It recognizes the interdependence of climate, ecosystems, and biodiversity and people.”

The projected severity of the effects of climate change – if action is not taken immediately to limit global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial temperature – has prompted dire warnings from UN leaders.

“I have seen many scientific reports in my time, but nothing like this,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, at the press conference launching the report. “Today’s IPCC report is an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership. With fact upon fact, this report reveals how people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change,” he said.

Speaking from Geneva, Petteri Taalas, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, which is a co-founding organization of the IPCC, pointed out that many of the most vulnerable parts of the world are already facing great challenges.

“Global hotspots are found in parts of Africa, Southern Asia, Small Island Developing States, and Central and South America,” Prof. Taalas said. “In many of those countries, population growth, urbanization, and unsustainable development practices are boosting the exposure of people and ecosystems to climate change.”

Speaking from Nairobi, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, which is also a co-founder of the IPCC, underlined the special vulnerability of the world’s indigenous peoples, and how negative impacts would be felt even if the world managed to contain planetary warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. “This is climate injustice,” Ms. Andersen said. “Even if we limit warming to 1.5 degrees, the blows will come harder and faster. As things stand, we are heading closer to 3 degrees Celsius. We are in an emergency, heading towards a disaster,” she added.

The report projects today’s children in South and Southeast Asia will be particularly exposed to losses in coastal settlements and infrastructure caused by sea level rise. It estimates that by 2050, more than a billion people living in low-lying coastal cities and settlements globally will be at risk.

As glaciers in the Andes continue to melt, South America will face increasing water scarcity, while hunger could affect up to 80 million people in 2050 if adaptation action is insufficient, with Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Central America emerging as the most severely affected regions.

One clear target for managing the situation is the world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels, with a need to shift to renewable sources of energy.

“The atmosphere today is on steroids, doped with fossil fuels,” said WMO chief Petteri Taalas.

Risks can still be reduced substantially if urgent action to limit global warming is taken and adaptation efforts scaled up. The IPCC report calls for increased investment in climate adaptation, specifically in solutions that safeguard nature and restore ecosystems. For such approaches to be successful, they need to be guided by local and indigenous knowledge, as well as scientific expertise.

“This report highlights the importance of including and using diverse forms of knowledge, such as indigenous and local knowledge,” said Hoesung Lee. The report contains several examples of innovations and adaptation measures to support nature in maintaining its equilibrium. It also highlights a solutions framework dubbed “Climate Resilient Development”, which combines adaptation and mitigation strategies and aims to involve all stakeholders, including traditionally marginalized groups, such as indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities, for more relevant, effective and inclusive action.

IPCC Press Conference 28 February 2022

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