Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report
About IPCC
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations for assessing the science related to climate change.
- The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Its function is to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
- Headquarter:Geneva, Switzerland.
IPCC Assessment Reports:
It cover the full scientific, technical and socio-economic assessment of climate change, generally in four parts – one for each of the Working Groups plus a Synthesis Report.
- Working Group I: the Physical Science Basis;
- Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability;
- Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change
The assessments are policy-relevant but not policy prescriptive: they may present projections of future climate change based on different scenarios and the risks that climate change poses and discuss the implications of response options, but they do not tell policymakers what actions to take.
Special Reports
The aim of these special reports is to provide “an assessment on a specific issue”. They complement the main “assessment reports” that the IPCC publishes every five or six years.
These reports are sought by governments to get a clearer picture of specific aspects of climate change.
Special reports published include:
- Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018),
- Climate Change and Land (2019)
- The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (2019).
The next special report will be on “climate change and cities”, which will be published during the sixth assessment cycle of the IPCC – and so will come after its sixth assessment report (AR6) in 2021-22
Brief Time Line
1988– The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) establish the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
-The United Nations General Assembly endorses the action of UNEP and the WMO in setting up the IPCC.
1990– The IPCC publishes its First Assessment Report (Working Group I – Climate Change: The IPCC Scientific Assessment; Working Group II – Climate Change: The IPCC Impacts Assessment; Working Group III – Climate Change: The IPCC Response Strategies).
1992– The IPCC publishes Supplementary Reports
-The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opens for signature at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.
1995– The IPCC publishes its Second Assessment Report (Working Group I – Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change; Working Group II – Climate Change 1995: Impacts, Adaptations and Mitigation of Climate Change: Scientific-Technical Analyses; Working Group III – Climate Change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change)
1997– The UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol is adopted. It comes into force in 2005.
2001- The IPCC publishes its Third Assessment Report (Working Group I – Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis; Working Group II – Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability; Working Group III – Climate Change 2001: Mitigation; Climate Change 2001: Synthesis Report).
2007– The IPCC publishes its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) (Working Group I – Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis; Working Group II – Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability; Working Group III – Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change; Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report).
2007– The IPCC shares the Nobel Peace Prize
2014– The Fifth Assessment Report was completed in 2014 with the Synthesis Report.
-The Paris Agreement, negotiated on the basis of the Fifth Assessment Report.
2018- The IPCC approves Global Warming of 1.5°C, an IPCC special report.
2019– The IPCC approves Climate Change and Land, an IPCC special report
– The IPCC approves the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.
2021– The IPCC approves Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, the Working Group 1 contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report
2022- The IPCC to approve Climate Change 2022: Impacts Adaptation and Vulnerability and Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, the Working Group II and Working Group III contributions to the Sixth Assessment Report. The IPCC to approve the Synthesis Report to the Sixth Assessment Report. (TBC)
In News:
(IPCC), released the second part of its sixth assessment report.
- This second part of the report is aboutclimate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities, and adaptation options.
- The first part of the report was released last year (2021). That one was centred on the scientific basis of climate change.
- It had warned that5 degree Celsius warmingwas likely to be achieved before 2040 itself.
The third and final part of the report, which will look into the possibilities of reducing emissions, is expected to come out in April 2022.
Highlights of the report:
- This report has warned of multiple climate change-induced disasters in thenext two decades even if strong action is taken to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas emissions.
- For the first time, this report made an assessment of regional and sectoral impacts of climate change.
- It hasincluded risksto, and vulnerabilities of, mega-cities around the world.
- Also for the first time, the IPCC report has looked at the health impacts of climate change.
- It has found that climate change is increasing vector-borne and water-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue, particularly in sub-tropical regions of Asia.
- It has also said deaths related to circulatory, respiratory, diabetic and infectious diseases, as well as infant mortality, are likely to increase with a rise in temperature.
- Increasing frequency of extreme weather events like heat waves, flooding and drought, and even air pollution was contributing to under-nutrition, allergic diseases and even mental disorders
- Over 3.5 billion people, over 45% of the global population, were living in areas highly vulnerable to climate change.
- The gap in adaptation was a result of lack of funds and political commitment, and also the absence of reliable information and a sense of urgency.
- There are “feasible and effective” adaptation optionswhich could reduce the risks to people and nature.
- While strong actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near term, in the next 20 years, would substantially reduce the threats, and the projected damages, they would not eliminate them all.
- If the temperature rise crossed the threshold of 1.5°C from pre-industrial times, then many changes could be irreversible.
- Global sea levelswill likely rise 44-76 cm this century if governments meet their current emission-cutting pledges.
India specific study:
- The report identifies India as one of the vulnerable hotspots, with several regions and important cities facing very high risk of climate disasters such as flooding, sea-level rise and heat-waves.
- Mumbaiis at high risk of sea-level rise and flooding.
- Ahmedabadfaces serious danger of heat-waves.
- Several cities, including Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Patna and Lucknow, are approaching dangerous levels of heat and humidity.
- Infrastructure, including transportation, water, and sanitation and energy systems has been compromisedby extreme and slow-onset events, with resulting economic losses, disruptions of services and impacts to well- being.
- Urban India is at greater risk thanother areas with a projected population of 877 million by 2050, nearly double of 480 million in 2020.
- Currently, urbanization in the country is at 35 per cent, which is likely to increase to 40 per cent in the next 15 years.
- At present, wet-bulb temperatures in Indiararely exceed 31 degrees C, with most of the country experiencing maximum wet-bulb temperatures of 25-30 degrees C, according to IPCC.
- It notes that if emissions are cut, but only by the levels currently promised, many parts of northern and coastal India would reach extremely dangerous wet-bulb temperatures of over 31 degrees C towards the end of the century.
- If emissions continue to rise, wet-bulb temperatures will approach or exceed the un-survivable limit of 35 degrees C over much of India, with the majority of the country reaching wet-bulb temperatures of 31 degrees C or more.
Wet-Bulb Temperatures
It is a measure that combines heat and humidity.
A wet-bulb temperature of 31 degrees Celsius is extremely dangerous for humans, while a value of 35 degrees is not survivable for more than about six hours, even for fit and healthy adults.
Way Ahead
- The need to take adaptation measuresis therefore very important.
- It has recognised progress being made to adapt to the new situation, but pointed out that, in most places, it was nowhere close to what is required to be done.
- IPCC reports form the scientific basison which countries across the world build their policy responses to climate change.
- These reports also form the basis for international climate change negotiationsthat decide on the responses at the global level.
- It is these negotiations that have produced the Paris Agreement, and previously the Kyoto Protocol.
