IPCC climate report - live: ‘Atlas of human suffering’ shows how crisis will impact billions across world
Follow live updates as UN climate scientists publish major new report on impact of crisis
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet
Get our free Climate email
Half of the world are highly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, according to a new landmark UN report which has been called an “atlas of human suffering”.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said global warming was “a threat to human wellbeing and planetary health” as it explored how rising temperatures are affecting communities and ecosystems, and what capacity there is to adapt.
More than 200 scientists from around the world have contributed to the latest assessment, which is considered the most authoritative look at the climate crisis and is published every seven years.
The UN secretary-general said the report showed “damning indictment of failed climate leadership”.
‘To prevent climate catastrophe, abandon the idea we can limit overheating to 1.5C'
“If we were to face the awful reality that 1.5C is gone, more people might well be jolted into truly stepping up,” Dr Rupert Read, former Extinction Rebellion spokesperson, writes.
Read his piece following the IPCC report’s publication:
Opinion: Abandon the idea we can limit overheating to 1.5C
If we were to face the awful reality that 1.5C is gone, more people might well be jolted into truly stepping up, writes Rupert Read
Risks for different regions of world
I mentioned before the UN report gave assessments for the individual risks for different regions if the world does not adapt.
Here is a breakdown of what it said for each one:
Asia
With Himalayan glaciers melting, water can pool behind rocky ridges to form lakes. When those rocks give way, water rushes down - putting downstream mountain communities at risk of sudden flooding.
Mosquitoes that can carry diseases including dengue fever and malaria will spread to new parts of subtropical Asia, encouraged by warmer temperatures and heavy rains.
Millions of people would also be on the move.
Africa
Living on the world’s hottest continent, Africans are at an especially high risk of suffering from heat stress. If global warming goes past 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, at least 15 additional people per 100,000 would die every year from extreme heat.
Africa’s population will likely grow faster than any other during the 21st century, and many will be living in coastal cities. By 2060, more than 200 million people in Africa will be vulnerable to sea level rise.
Central and South America
The Amazon rainforest and the thousands of diverse plants and animals it supports are highly vulnerable to drought and wildfires, made worse by farmers clearing trees for agriculture.
Droughts, storms and flooding will worsen in parts of the Andes, in northeast Brazil and in parts of Central America. Coupled with geopolitical and economic instability, these impacts could lead to waves of migration.
The mosquito-borne diseases zika, chikungunya, and dengue fever will make people sick.
Europe
The 2019 summer heatwave offered just a glimpse of what’s to come for Europe if warming reaches 3C. At that stage, cases of heat stress and heat-related death will double if not triple compared with 1.5C, the report says.
Damage from coastal flooding is projected to go far beyond sinking Venice, increasing at least 10-fold by the end of the century.
And despite Europe’s relative wealth, current adaptation measures are falling short. Scientists project continued heat deaths, crop failures, and water rationing during drought in Southern Europe in coming decades.
North America
Large wildfires will continue to burn forests and darken skies in the western United States and Canada, causing destruction of nature and livelihoods while contributing to air and water pollution.
Even if global warming is kept to 1.5C, many parts of the United States will be at high risk from severe storms and hurricanes, in addition to rises in sea levels. These events will disrupt global supply chains and international trade.
And in the Arctic, melting sea ice, warming temperatures, and thawing permafrost will push many species to the brink of extinction.
Australasia
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and kelp forests will hit a hard adaptation limit beyond 1.5C, undergoing irreversible changes due to marine heatwaves. Tourism revenue will fall sharply.
Extreme fires will hit southern and eastern Australia and parts of New Zealand.
And as Australia’s forests dry out, alpine ash, snowgum woodlands and northern jarrah forests will largely collapse.
Reuters
UN report called ‘atlas of human suffering'
The UN secretary-general called the UN report an ‘atlas of human suffering’ as it launched today.
Watch him make the comments here:
Ukrainian author who did final line-checking in bomb shelter
Reuters have spoken to the sole Ukrainian author: a botanist who described taking cover in a Kyiv bomb shelter during the final line-checking of the IPCC report.
“The battles are taking place both outside the city and in the city, where Russian paratroopers appeared,” Yakiv Didukh said, having spent the night taking refuge from his 11th floor apartment in Ukraine’s capital.
“People are worried, but we do not panic,” the botanist added.
Ukrainian author who did final line-checking in bomb shelter
Reuters have spoken to the sole Ukrainian author: a botanist who described taking cover in a Kyiv bomb shelter during the final line-checking of the IPCC report.
“The battles are taking place both outside the city and in the city, where Russian paratroopers appeared,” Yakiv Didukh said, having spent the night taking refuge from his 11th floor apartment in Ukraine’s capital.
“People are worried, but we do not panic,” the botanist added.
Misinformation and climate crisis in North America
Misinformation and political divisions over science have hampered much-needed climate action in North America, according to a landmark United Nations report.
Louise Boyle, our senior climate correspondent in the US, has more:
IPCC report calls out misinformation as barrier to tackling climate crisis in the US
‘Denial and delay are not strategies, they are a recipe for disaster,’ says US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry
Impact of climate crisis on world economy
Another finding from the IPCC was the climate crisis and extreme weather are already hurting the world economy and if unchecked will plunge millions more into poverty while pushing up food prices and disrupting trade and labour markets.
“Economic damages from climate change have been detected in climate-exposed sectors, with regional effects to agriculture, forestry, fishery, energy and tourism and through outdoor labour productivity,” the report summary said.
“Individual livelihoods have been affected through changes in agricultural productivity, impacts on human health and food security, destruction of homes and infrastructure, and loss of property and income, with adverse effects on gender and social equity,” it added.
Additional reporting by Reuters
‘It is adapt or die’ - Environment Agency
Here is Emma Howard Boyd from England’s Environment Agency on the latest IPPC report:
“It is adapt or die. Previous IPCC reports have talked about terrible climate risks, this report shows how impacts to people, nature and the economy are interconnected. The IPCC offers us a glimmer of hope, the window to deliver climate resilience is still there, but it is closing fast.
“ The present failure of the international community to respond with an integrated adaptation strategy is grave. Local communities, economies and some entire countries are already paying the price while nations argue over who is liable.”
Report ‘demonstrates the urgency of adapting’ - US sectretary of state
Here is the US secretary of state on the report:
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies