03/08/2022
The second installment of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on “Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” was released on Feb 28, 20022, with contributions from 270 authors across 67 countries. It is a lengthy report, but the message is loud and clear: WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION NOW! Let’s take a closer look at a few main points:
❇Citing from more than 34000 scientific papers, scientists from across the world have found that we will face multiple, extreme, climate hazards over the next 2 decades. Further any warming more than 1.5 C will result in severe, irreversible damage. These extreme weather events are co-occurring and causing cascading impacts on millions of people, including food and water insecurity.
❇Cities are expected to be hotspots for climate impacts, and people’s health, livelihood, as well as critical infrastructure, will be severely affected. This is especially true for cities with poorly planned urban growth and high rates of poverty. However, cities can also act as a crucial part of the solution if they decide to make major climate adaptation shifting toward a more sustainable system, such as sustainable building practices, implementation of renewable energy, better public transport, etc.
❇The report also points out that a healthy ecosystem is more resilient to climate change and provides critical services, including its natural ability to absorb and store carbon. Therefore, they believe that safeguarding nature and restoring degraded ecosystems are necessary to secure a livable future.
❇In the end, the IPCC warns us about the severe consequences of inaction and emphasizes the urgency of immediate action to address the climate risks. The window to a livable future is narrowing, and we have to take action NOW. Stay tuned as we talk about some causes you can get involved in this week!
