The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group report, Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, was released on March 31. In the press release accompanying the report, the working group states the world is “in many cases ill-prepared for risks from a changing climate,” yet it concludes there are opportunities to address the risks, and “investments in better preparation can pay dividends for both the present and for the future.”
The 44-page Summary for Policymakers describes how climate-related risks across global regions and sectors are shifting as the climate changes and how mitigation and adaptation strategies can reduce these risks. It summarizes key climate risks by sector and regions. Some key risks identified with high confidence include coastal flooding, food insecurity, loss of marine and coastal ecosystems, loss of terrestrial and inland water ecosystems and the breakdown of critical infrastructure networks.
The report notes that near-term and long-term adaptation and mitigation choices will determine the climate change risks in the future. It also identifies future risks and opportunities for adaptation, noting that sustainable development and other resilience-building activities can help, particularly in urban areas where many risks are concentrated.
The Summary for Policymakers lists principles for effective adaptation and prospects for “climate-resilient pathways and transformation,” noting that adaption is place and context specific and will require economic, social, technological and political transformations and actions.
The report is the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). This volume, together with the Working Group I report (released in September 2013), the Working Group III report (expected in April 2014) and the Synthesis Report (expected in September 2014) completes the “report cycle” for the IPCC AR5.