Scientists called for urgent action on climate change in UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2022 report on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to increasingly drastic global climate disturbances.
The report from IPCC Working Group II focuses on the impacts of climate change on nature and people worldwide.
The report highlights the importance of safeguarding and fortifying natural systems to maintain the possibility of a “liveable future.”
“By restoring degraded ecosystems and effectively and equitably conserving 30 to 50 per cent of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean habitats, society can benefit from nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon, and we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development, but adequate finance and political support are essential,” said IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair Hans-Otto Pörtner.
The report also emphasizes the role of cities in climate change impact and risks.
“Together, growing urbanization and climate change create complex risks, especially for those cities that already experience poorly planned urban growth, high levels of poverty and unemployment, and a lack of basic services,” Debra Roberts said.
According to the report climate resilient development will be increasingly limited as temperatures rise beyond 1.5°C, becoming impossible in some regions if there is a more than 2°C.