IPCC Report

Why in news?
  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) titled Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis.
Key points:
  • Human activities are driving climate change, and the planet will be warmed by 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels within the next two decades.
  • The warming of 1.5 degrees is inevitable even with best of measures.
  • CO2 concentration is the highest in the atmosphere in the last 2 million years and the World has already consumed 86% of its carbon budget.
  • Sea levels are rising and there will be increased coastal erosion and flooding of low lying areas in the 21st century.
  • With rise of every 0.5 degrees the hot extremes, rains and droughts will rise.
  • The pace of melting of glaciers will be accentuated resulting in change in water cycles, flooding in low lying areas etc.
  • The current commitments of countries to curb emissions will lead to global warming of at least 7°C by 2100, referred to as 'Code red for humanity'.
  • The 2015 Paris Agreement goals will probably not be reached unless all countries implement extremely deep emissions cuts immediately.
  • Because of its irreversible impacts, many consider climate change as a greater threat than COVID-19.
  • Countries should aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, which means no additional greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere.
  • Net-zero emissions: All man-made greenhouse gas emissions must be removed from the atmosphere through reduction measures, thereby reducing the Earth's net climate balance to zero, after removal through natural and artificial sinks.
  • Achieving net-zero temperatures by 2050 was the only way to keeping global warming at 1.5°C.
  • Many nations have announced their targets to achieve Net-zero by 2050 and there is immense pressure on India to follow suit.
  • Points related to India - 
  • India will experience heatwaves and melting of Himalayan glaciers and massively heavy rainfalls towards the end of the century.
  • Rise in rainfall is expected over the years to come.
  • India is seen as the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. But its emissions per head are low owing to its large population of 1.3 billion.
IPCC:
  • The IPCC is an intergovernmental body created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
  • Climate change is not itself investigated by the IPCC. Its role is rather to ask scientists from all over the world to examine scientific literature and reach logical conclusions.
  • The IPCC produces climate change reports that contribute to the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the principal international climate change treaty.
  • Climate change assessment reports produced by the IPCC are the most comprehensive scientific evaluations of the state of the earth's climate.
Assessment report:
  • The first assessment report was published in 1990, and five have been produced so far.
  • 2007 was the year that the IPCC released its fourth assessment report, which won the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • In the lead-up to the climate change conference in Paris, the 5th assessment report was released in 2014.
  • Three working groups of scientists create the IPCC reports.
  • Working Group-I : Examines the science behind climate change
  • Working Group-II: Examines potential impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptations.
  • Working Group-III: Discusses ways for combating climate change.
Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC: Suggestions
  • Countries should set goals to reduce emissions by 2030 and develop long-term strategies to reach net-zero emissions.
  • The developed countries with legacy emissions should take steps to reduce their emissions and transfer technology without conditions to emerging economies and heavily fund adaptation and mitigation.
  • All countries should update their climate change action plans, called NDCs, with stronger climate policies.
  • The construction of new coal plants after 2021 must be
  • The capacity of solar and wind will quadruple by 2030, and renewable energy investments will triple, in order to achieve net-zero energy by mid-century
Conclusion:
  • Climate mitigation strategies submitted by nations under the Paris Agreement are not sufficient to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C or even 2°C.
  • According to scientists, if the temperature rises beyond 2 degrees Celsius, it would produce irreversible and catastrophic changes that would make it difficult for humans and other animals to survive.
  • Therefore world leaders, businesses, civil society and individuals must act together with urgency and to do whatever it takes to develop a plan to save the planet.
Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 28th Aug 2021
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