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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presented the second part of its 6th Assessment Report on 28 February 2022. The current report focuses on the consequences of climate change and climate adaptation. The IPCC warns that climate risks for ecosystems and people are increasing rapidly worldwide. Only consistent climate protection and early climate adaptation can reduce risks.
In the joint press release from the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke explained that independence from fossil fuel imports and climate protection are more urgent tasks than ever. Only if both are taken seriously can the necessary adaptation to the climate crisis be mastered. The massive expansion of renewable energies and the necessary adaptation of society, infrastructure and ecosystems are a huge task for the future.
The Sixth IPCC Assessment Report (AR6) with the contribution of Working Group II deals with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability in Part 2. In the main statements from the summary for political decision-making, Chapter B describes the observed and projected impacts and risks. This is followed in Chapter C by the adaptation measures and favourable conditions. Chapter D explains what is needed for climate-resilient development.
Massive consequences for ecosystems and people are already visible in all regions of the world and global CO₂ emissions are continuing to rise. The effects of the climate crisis will continue to have an increasing impact on people and ecosystems even if we succeed in taking decisive action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The report lists a total of 127 key risks, the effects of which will be many times greater in the medium and long term than they are today. These include, for example, the increase in heat-related deaths, the rise in damage caused by floods and storms or reduced habitability and possible displacement, for example in smaller island states.
Almost half of humanity - 3.3 to 3.6 billion people - currently live in an environment that is highly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. The degree of vulnerability is heavily dependent on social criteria. There are global "hotspots" of vulnerability, particularly regions in West, Central and East Africa, South Asia, Central and South America as well as the small island developing states and the Arctic.
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, greenhouse gas emissions have already heated up the climate by 1.1 degrees - with dramatic consequences, as the flood disaster in July last year showed. Heavy rainfall and flooding are likely to hit Germany much more frequently in the future, especially if climate change is severe. These extreme weather events, as well as the hot and dry summers of recent years, were only the harbingers. The frequency and intensity of heatwaves will increase. This puts a strain on people, especially in cities, and is a serious threat to health.
Ecosystems that are already under severe pressure, such as soils and forests, oceans, rivers and lakes, are particularly sensitive to climate change. They are threatened by drought, heavy rainfall and the steady, gradual rise in temperatures. New pests and plant diseases are appearing and water quality is deteriorating. Plants and animals can only adapt very slowly to a changed environment. The extinction of species is significantly accelerated by faster global warming. Biodiversity is therefore one of the biggest losers of the climate crisis. Even if 1.5 degrees Celsius is maintained, 3 to 14 per cent of species in terrestrial ecosystems would be affected by a "very high risk of extinction", according to the report.
Walter Leal, professor at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and lead author of the chapter on poverty, livelihoods and sustainable development in the new IPCC sub-report, said in an interview with "Klimareporter°": "Climate change is creating a poverty trap. According to this report, increasing weather and climate extremes are exposing millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water supplies. In Africa, agriculture is the most important source of income - but is severely jeopardised. When water is scarce, people can no longer grow vegetables or cereals or feed their animals. Agricultural yields are lost and with them the income. The trap snaps shut. Climate change is a driver of extreme poverty and exacerbates existing inequality," explains Leal. The IPCC report makes it clear once again that climate change is also a problem of justice.
Nature-based solutions in climate adaptation, such as the renaturalisation of water bodies or the greening of roofs, streets and squares, have the added benefit that they also protect ecosystems and contribute to climate protection themselves. Nature-based solutions are therefore important for climate adaptation in order to achieve a sustainable and climate-resilient society. Many high climate risks can only be effectively reduced through immediate action.
As part of the "Engineering for a better tomorrow" programme, the MuP Group is helping to meet climate targets. M&P GO.BLUE.NOW is working with customers and partners to limit global warming to 1.5°.
Image sources/authors: Julien Jandric / Fotolia.com
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WGII: Impact, adaptation and vulnerability - de-IPCC
