New Delhi/Geneva: Extreme sea level events that previously occurred once in 100 years could happen every year by the end of this century, the latest IPCC In a report on climate change on Monday, scientists warned that rising sea levels, floods, heavy rains and melting glaciers are some of the irreversible effects.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ said that every region of the world is witnessing irreversible changes in climate due to human influence.
“Coastal areas will see continued sea level rise in the 21st century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion with extreme sea level events that occurred once in the first 100 years, every year. May be by the end of this century, ”said IPCC Working Group I report, which is the first installment of AR6, to be completed in 2022.
The report, approved by the IPCC’s 195 member governments through virtual sessions held over two weeks from 26 July, projected that climate change would increase in all regions in the coming decades.
It said that for 1.5°C of global warming, there would be increasing heat waves, longer warm seasons and fewer cold seasons. At 2 °C of global warming, extremes of heat will often reach critical tolerance limits for agriculture and health.
“But it’s not just about temperature. Climate change is bringing about many different changes in different regions – that will increase as we warm. These include wetting and dryness, winds, snow and ice, coastal areas.” and changes in the oceans,” it said.
“For example, climate change is affecting rainfall patterns. In high latitudes, rainfall is likely to increase, while it is expected to decrease over large parts of the subtropics. Monsoon rainfall is expected to change, which Will vary by region.”
However, the report gave hope that it is still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees from a physics standpoint, meaning these changes can be slowed and prevented from getting worse.
“If we reduce emissions globally to zero by 2040, there is still a two-thirds chance of reaching 1.5°C and achieving that if we achieve net zero emissions globally by the middle of the century. There is still a third chance of that,” said Dr. Friedrich Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute. University of Oxford and one of the authors of the IPCC report.
“To limit global warming, strong, rapid and sustained reductions in CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases are essential. This will not only mitigate the consequences of climate change, but also improve air quality and its many other co-morbidities. There will be benefits, ”said Otto.
The report said that while the benefits for air quality would come quickly, it could take 20-30 years for global temperatures to stabilize.
It found that further warming of the Earth would lead to permafrost melting and loss of seasonal ice cover, melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and loss of Arctic sea ice in the summer.
“Ocean changes, including warming, more frequent ocean heatwaves, ocean acidification and lower oxygen levels are clearly linked to human impact. These changes affect both ocean ecosystems and the people who depend on them, and they will continue for at least the rest of this century,” it said.
The report said that for cities, some aspects of climate change could be exacerbated, including heat (urban areas are generally warmer than their surroundings), flooding from heavy rainfall events and sea level rise in coastal cities, the report said. includes growth.
The report provides new estimates of the potential for global warming to exceed 1.5 °C levels in the next decades, and finds that unless there is an immediate, rapid and large-scale reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Warming is limited to closer to 1.5 °C. Or even 2°C would be out of reach.
“This report is a reality check,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Valerie Mason-Delmotte said, “We now have a much clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential to understand where we are headed, what can be done and how we can prepare.” Huh.”
According to the report, many characteristics of climate change are directly dependent on the level of global warming, but what people experience is often very different from the global average.
“Climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in many ways. The changes we experience will increase with additional warming,” said Panmao Zhai, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group I.
For the first time, the Sixth Assessment Report provides a more detailed regional assessment of climate change, with a focus on useful information that can inform risk assessment, adaptation and other decision-making, and a new framework that addresses physical changes in climate. helps to translate. What do they mean for society and ecosystems.
The report showed that human actions still have the potential to determine the future course of climate, adding that the evidence is clear that carbon dioxide is the main driver of climate change, even as other greenhouse gases and air Pollutants also affect the climate.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ said that every region of the world is witnessing irreversible changes in climate due to human influence.
“Coastal areas will see continued sea level rise in the 21st century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion with extreme sea level events that occurred once in the first 100 years, every year. May be by the end of this century, ”said IPCC Working Group I report, which is the first installment of AR6, to be completed in 2022.
The report, approved by the IPCC’s 195 member governments through virtual sessions held over two weeks from 26 July, projected that climate change would increase in all regions in the coming decades.
It said that for 1.5°C of global warming, there would be increasing heat waves, longer warm seasons and fewer cold seasons. At 2 °C of global warming, extremes of heat will often reach critical tolerance limits for agriculture and health.
“But it’s not just about temperature. Climate change is bringing about many different changes in different regions – that will increase as we warm. These include wetting and dryness, winds, snow and ice, coastal areas.” and changes in the oceans,” it said.
“For example, climate change is affecting rainfall patterns. In high latitudes, rainfall is likely to increase, while it is expected to decrease over large parts of the subtropics. Monsoon rainfall is expected to change, which Will vary by region.”
However, the report gave hope that it is still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees from a physics standpoint, meaning these changes can be slowed and prevented from getting worse.
“If we reduce emissions globally to zero by 2040, there is still a two-thirds chance of reaching 1.5°C and achieving that if we achieve net zero emissions globally by the middle of the century. There is still a third chance of that,” said Dr. Friedrich Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute. University of Oxford and one of the authors of the IPCC report.
“To limit global warming, strong, rapid and sustained reductions in CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases are essential. This will not only mitigate the consequences of climate change, but also improve air quality and its many other co-morbidities. There will be benefits, ”said Otto.
The report said that while the benefits for air quality would come quickly, it could take 20-30 years for global temperatures to stabilize.
It found that further warming of the Earth would lead to permafrost melting and loss of seasonal ice cover, melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and loss of Arctic sea ice in the summer.
“Ocean changes, including warming, more frequent ocean heatwaves, ocean acidification and lower oxygen levels are clearly linked to human impact. These changes affect both ocean ecosystems and the people who depend on them, and they will continue for at least the rest of this century,” it said.
The report said that for cities, some aspects of climate change could be exacerbated, including heat (urban areas are generally warmer than their surroundings), flooding from heavy rainfall events and sea level rise in coastal cities, the report said. includes growth.
The report provides new estimates of the potential for global warming to exceed 1.5 °C levels in the next decades, and finds that unless there is an immediate, rapid and large-scale reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Warming is limited to closer to 1.5 °C. Or even 2°C would be out of reach.
“This report is a reality check,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Valerie Mason-Delmotte said, “We now have a much clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential to understand where we are headed, what can be done and how we can prepare.” Huh.”
According to the report, many characteristics of climate change are directly dependent on the level of global warming, but what people experience is often very different from the global average.
“Climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in many ways. The changes we experience will increase with additional warming,” said Panmao Zhai, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group I.
For the first time, the Sixth Assessment Report provides a more detailed regional assessment of climate change, with a focus on useful information that can inform risk assessment, adaptation and other decision-making, and a new framework that addresses physical changes in climate. helps to translate. What do they mean for society and ecosystems.
The report showed that human actions still have the potential to determine the future course of climate, adding that the evidence is clear that carbon dioxide is the main driver of climate change, even as other greenhouse gases and air Pollutants also affect the climate.
.