Our future at a glance, according to the latest risks and opportunities in the IPCC report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (widely referred to as the IPCC) has finalised and published its second set of contributions to the Sixth Assessment Report, the most comprehensive scientific study on the impacts of climate change ever produced.
The full results, along with the metholodogy and technical summaries, can be found here, but if you’re finding yourself too short on time to look into it, keep reading. Our team have been reviewing the risks outlined in their report, as well as the opportunities to adapt and reverse some of the drastic effects of climate change on people, biodiversity and the rest of the living world.
Here are just a few of those pivotal reminders:
  • y : even though changes are already noticeable across the world, they are not uniform. Over 3.5 billion people in frontline communities are due to bear a disproportionate burden of the pollution and uncertainty due to their vulnerable position. We can no longer separate the climate conversation from the ongoing global inequities stemming from centuries of historical injustice and poor management of resources.
Image source: the World Resources Institute (WRI)
  • ℎ- (-2040): perhaps one of the most immediate threats to human life as we know it is agricultural productivity and food security. Over the next few decades, the world is expected to witness loss to farmland due to rising sea levels, unpredictable weather patterns or more frequent flooding in certain areas with increased periods of droughts elsewhere.
  • : the latest research dismantles the myth that it is too late to solve the climate crisis and reminds us that the sooner we act, the safer our world will be in the long-term. Although the window to prevent permanent harm is closing rapidly, we do have the means and the tools to put us on a healthier path and avoid species loss, as long as we collectively pull the right levers. Nature is still one of our biggest allies: currently, just under 8% of the oceans and less than 15% of the land are classed as protected environments, but, in order to ensure resilience, the report estimates we will have to conserve up to 50% of these areas, while also restoring wetlands and using trees to cool down our growing cities.
  • , : these are crucial to success. And whilst the IPCC report does not define success in this area, it notes that the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a good (although limited) measure of progress. Strategies for the long term, that integrate the SDGs and include a mix of “green and grey” solutions are our best hope of success.
A follow-up to this report is due to be published this coming April, with the intention of introducing a common set of accessible solutions to reducing global emissions.
If you have any questions or want to get in touch with our team to explore your own climate-related risks and opportunities, send us an e-mail at gonetzero@energise.com or call us on +44 (0)1480 220280.
Written By    Energise

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