On March 31, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Working Group II report for its fifth assessment. The 44-page “Summary for Policymakers” from the report entitled Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability 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.
“In many cases, we are not prepared for the climate related risks that we already face,” said Vicente Barros, Co-chair of Working Group II. “Investments in better preparation can pay dividends both for the present and for the future.”
The report notes that near- 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.