The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just released a devastating report on the future consequences of climate change. The study, conducted by more than 300 lead authors assisted by over 2,000 other peer reviewers and contributing authors, was recently presented in the Japanese city of Yokohama.
” Climate Change 2014. Impact, adaptation and vulnerability “. This is the title of the report of the IPCC working group II that has raised its voice even more about the dangers of global warming. It identifies the most vulnerable ecosystems, people and industries while determining where the risks of climate change come from. According to the IPCC itself, these risks are due to the overlap of three factors, vulnerability (a lack of preparation), exposure to a risk situation (whether of people or goods) and dangers. Thus, according to the panel of experts itself, “each of these three components can be subject to selective measures that reduce risks.”
In the words of the co-chair of Working Group II, Vicente Barros “in many cases, we are not prepared for the climate-related risks that we already face. Investing in better preparation can pay dividends in the present and in the future ”he pointed out.
And is that no one denies the evidence of the link between greenhouse gases, climate change and its associated dangers. In fact, according to IPCC data, the amount of scientific evidence for this change in climate has doubled since the last report was created in 2007.
So, despite knowing the importance of emissions of this type of harmful gases since 2007, hasn’t the bull been caught by the horns? According to Chris Field, Co-Chair of Working Group II, adaptation to reduce risks from climate change is already beginning to take place, but more importance is placed on reacting to events that have already occurred than preparing for future developments.
The problem is that these emissions are still too high and it seems that many countries are not willing to step on the brake pedal. As Field himself explains, “with high levels of warming due to the continuous increase in greenhouse gas emissions it will be difficult to control the risks and even if significant and continuous investment is made in adaptation, we will find ourselves with limitations”.
However, the president of the IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri, was not so pessimistic about this latest report. “ The report of Task Force II is another important advance in our understanding of how to reduce and manage the risks of climate change . Together with the reports of Working Group I and Working Group III, it provides a conceptual overview not only of the essential characteristics of the climate change problem, but also of possible solutions ”, he explained.
The next report of Working Group III will be published in April 2014, but it will not be until October that the synthesis report of the cycle of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC will be published.
