Taking action now can secure our future

Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, according to a new report co-authored by a University of Plymouth researcher.

The Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability was approved on Sunday, February 27 by 195 member governments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

It highlighted that the world faces unavoidable and multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5°C (2.7°F).

The report also says that even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible. Risks for society will increase, including to infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements.

Professor Camille Parmesan, from the University’s School of Biological and Marine Sciences, has been a Coordinating Lead Author for Working Group II of the 6th Assessment Report of the IPCC for the past four years. She coordinated a global assessment of observed and projected impacts of climate change on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their adaptation options.

She was also heavily involved with chapters linked to her ongoing research, including: observed impacts on wild species of current and future climate change; population losses, mass mortality events of plants and animals, and species' extinctions driven by climate change; changes in diseases in wildlife due to climate change and how that relates to changing risks for humans; and the potential of natural ecosystems in helping humans mitigate and adapt to climate change, includes the roles of Nature-based Solutions and of Ecosystem-based Adaptation.

Urgent action required to deal with increasing risks

The IPCC’s Working Group II is composed of around 220 scientists from a variety of disciplines and specialisations, representing all regions of the world. Its report is the second instalment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which will be completed this year.

Among the key findings are that increased heatwaves, droughts and floods are already exceeding plants’ and animals’ tolerance thresholds, driving mass mortalities in species such as trees and corals.

These weather extremes are occurring simultaneously, causing cascading impacts that are increasingly difficult to manage.

They have exposed millions of people to acute food and water insecurity, especially in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, on Small Islands and in the Arctic.

The report says that to avoid mounting loss of life, biodiversity and infrastructure, ambitious, accelerated action is required to adapt to climate change, at the same time as making rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

So far, progress on adaptation is uneven and there are increasing gaps between action taken and what is needed to deal with the increasing risks, the new report finds. These gaps are largest among lower-income populations.

Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, said:

“This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction. It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.”