- Since 1988, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has played a crucial role in evaluating climate science and steering worldwide efforts to tackle climate change via its assessment reports and special publications.
- The latest Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) emphasizes the imperative to confront climate change, emphasizing the necessity of constraining global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
KEY FINDINGS OF ASSESSMENT REPORT 6
- Critical Alert: AR6 issues a pressing warning that the window to constrain global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is rapidly closing, emphasizing the urgent need for immediate measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- Adaptation Obstacles: The report underscores the difficulties associated with adapting to climate change and provides recommendations to bolster resilience in both natural and human-built systems.
IPCC SPECIAL REPORT ON OCEAN AND CRYOSPHERE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
Presently, oceans are encountering unparalleled circumstances characterized by rising temperatures, heightened ocean acidification, occurrences of marine heatwaves, and a higher frequency of extreme El Niño and La Niña events.
Communities residing in close proximity to coastal regions, small island nations, polar territories, and high-altitude mountainous areas are especially susceptible to these transformations, facing challenges such as escalating sea levels and diminishing glaciers.
However, communities residing in other regions are also impacted due to intensified extreme weather events resulting from ocean warming.
OCEAN WARMING
- The global ocean has absorbed over 90% of the surplus heat within the climate system.
- Since 1993, the pace of ocean warming has more than doubled.
- Marine heatwaves have significantly increased in frequency, doubling since 1982, and are showing a trend towards greater intensity.
- The ocean is undergoing warming, acidification, and deoxygenation processes.
- Elevated temperatures are depleting oxygen levels in the upper water layers, leading to the suffocation of marine life, the expansion of dead zones, and disturbances in ocean current circulation, resulting in more disruptive weather patterns on land.
- Due to prolonged response times in oceans, certain changes are expected to escalate over centuries, even if greenhouse gas emissions were to cease abruptly today.
SEA LEVEL RISE
- Sea levels are increasing due to two primary factors: the thermal expansion of ocean waters caused by rising temperatures and the melting of glaciers and polar ice.
- If countries fail to limit emissions “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as outlined in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, global sea levels are projected to rise by approximately 1.1 meters by the year 2100.
- Even if countries are successful in restricting emissions, sea levels are still expected to rise by 30-60 centimeters by the end of the 21st century.
- Over the past century, approximately 50% of coastal wetlands have been lost.
CRYOSPHERE
- Between 2006 and 2015, the Greenland ice sheet experienced an average annual ice-mass loss of 278 billion tonnes, while the Antarctic ice sheet lost an average of 155 billion tonnes annually during the same period.
- Snow cover in regions beyond Greenland and Antarctica, such as the Himalayan glaciers, collectively lost an average of 220 billion tonnes of ice each year.
- The Himalayan glaciers, which supply water to 10 major rivers including the Ganges and the Yangtze, are at risk of significant shrinkage if greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked, posing a threat to water supplies across a vast area of Asia.
- Thawing permafrost in regions like Alaska and Siberia has the potential to release substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, potentially triggering feedback loops that accelerate global warming.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
Expanding Protected Areas:
One proposed solution to address biodiversity loss, particularly in the context of climate change, involves the expansion of the global network of large-scale protected areas on both land and in the ocean. Protected areas have long been established to preserve marine ecosystems, and studies consistently demonstrate that strictly protected areas, which limit or prohibit human activities, play a crucial role in safeguarding biodiversity and enhancing resilience to environmental stresses, including the impacts of climate change.
Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
However, relying solely on protected areas is insufficient. The report emphasizes the necessity of rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions across institutional boundaries to effectively combat climate change. This entails a substantial increase in nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which are commitments made by countries under the 2015 Paris Agreement. The report urges for a five-fold increase in these contributions to significantly mitigate the effects of climate change and protect global biodiversity.
FAQs about IPCC Reports
1. What is the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?
A: The IPCC, established in 1988, is tasked with assessing climate science and guiding global responses to climate change through its assessment reports and special publications.
2. What is the significance of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)?
A: The latest AR6 underscores the urgent need to confront climate change by emphasizing the necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
3. What are the key findings of Assessment Report 6 (AR6)?
A: AR6 issues a critical warning that time is running out to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, emphasizing the urgent need for immediate action. Additionally, the report highlights the challenges associated with adapting to climate change and offers strategies to enhance resilience in natural and human-made systems.
4. What does the IPCC Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate focus on?
A: This report highlights unprecedented conditions in the oceans, including rising temperatures, ocean acidification, marine heatwaves, and more frequent extreme El Niño and La Niña events. It also addresses the vulnerability of communities in coastal, island, polar, and mountainous regions to these changes.
5. How is ocean warming impacting marine ecosystems?
A: Ocean warming, along with acidification and deoxygenation, is suffocating marine life, creating dead zones, and disrupting ocean currents, leading to more disruptive weather patterns on land.
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