The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns against inaction

Berlin Heat waves, droughts, floods: previous efforts to limit man-made climate change are not enough. If emissions are cut at the currently planned rate, the resulting rise in temperature will threaten food production, water supplies, human health, coastal settlements, economies and the survival of much of nature. That is a central message of the new IPCC report presented this Monday.

The report is the second part of the Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report on climate research, which is due for final approval in September. The fifth IPCC assessment report was published eight years ago.

The committee does not conduct its own research, but summarizes available scientific findings on behalf of the almost 200 United Nations states. The result: The extent and scope of climate change are greater than assumed in previous assessments.

The war in Ukraine and the enormous financial challenges in foreign and security policy are fueling scientists’ unease that combating climate change could be a bit off-topic. This is one of the reasons why Hans-Otto Pörtner, marine biologist and co-chair of IPCC Working Group II, calls for “appropriate funding” and “political support”.

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DGAP: Multiple crises foreign and domestic policy

The climate crisis is a fundamental threat to peace and stability, according to Kira Vinke of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in the new report. For Germany, this means that it is imperative to deal with multiple crises at the same time, both domestically and externally. “While resources must be pooled immediately in order to avert attacks on the European peace order, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change draws our attention back to the dramatic consequences that an unleashed climate crisis will have.”

IPCC chairman Hoesung Lee warned of the consequences of inaction. “Half measures are no longer an option,” he said. The gap between the actions taken and what is needed to manage the risks is widening. He called for “immediate and ambitious action” to address climate threats.

And they have it all. Climate change caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is already damaging and killing people worldwide, destroying nature and reducing economic growth, for example through crop losses and losses in aquaculture and fisheries.

Extreme heat, heavy rains, droughts and fires were more frequent and more intense. Further consequences are the rise in sea level, the ongoing acidification of the oceans and strong tropical cyclones.

Humanitarian crises would be exacerbated. Climate change drives people from their homes and prolongs or exacerbates violent conflicts. Overall, the effects of climate change are “increasingly complex and difficult to manage”.

Measures to adapt to climate change are important

However, not only faster emission reductions are important, but also measures to adapt to climate change. Because even if we manage to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, many risks can no longer be averted. The report makes that clear.

Warming of 1.5 degrees is considered manageable, and there is international consensus to limit warming to this level. However, with current emissions policies and commitments, the world is heading towards 2.3 to 2.7 degrees Celsius, the IPCC warns. So far the earth has warmed by 1.1 degrees.

If it goes beyond 1.5 degrees, the world will increasingly be confronted with changes to which man and nature cannot adapt, it warns. Entire ecosystems would be irretrievably lost.

In nature, the damage caused by climate change is already greater than previously assumed. Half of all species studied have shifted their range, many species have died out locally, some completely.

Wildfires in California

Extreme heat, heavy rains, droughts and fires were more frequent and more intense.

(Photo: dpa)

Climate change is also becoming an endurance test for the population. The number of illnesses and premature deaths will increase significantly as a result of more extreme weather conditions and heat waves, as well as the spread of diseases, it said.

Cities, towns and villages on the coast will reach the limits of their adaptability as sea levels rise. On the other hand, there is likely to be a shortage of fresh water in many regions in the future.

World inadequately prepared

The report also dispels the prejudice that Europeans are less affected by climate change and its sometimes dramatic consequences than other regions of the world. In fact, the effects vary from region to region. But Europe is also increasingly suffering from heat stress on the one hand and heavy rainfall and flooding on the other. Fires could increase, as could water shortages, especially in southern Europe. Significant losses in agricultural production are forecast for most European areas in the 21st century.

>>Read here: Heavy rain and flood disasters – government advisors call for compulsory insurance

According to the new report, the world is currently ill-prepared for the coming impacts of climate change, particularly global warming of more than 1.5 degrees. In addition, there are large gaps in knowledge about the possibilities of adapting to climate change, the authors write.

Protecting nature is not enough. Climate-resilient development will only happen with fundamental changes in industry and the energy sector, for example, and in the way cities and infrastructure are planned and built.

Lutz Weischer, head of the office of the development and environmental organization Germanwatch, said: “We have known for years how badly climate change will hit us.” Ignoring the costs of climate change, they are now seriously considering extending coal-fired power.”

It is now a matter of reducing emissions and promoting the phase-out of fossil fuels with renewable energies and energy savings.

More: “Don’t let any crisis go to waste” – companies are demanding an acceleration pact for renewable energy

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