IPCC 2022: 5 Key Things To Know About The Climate Change Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a body in the UN for assessing the science related to climate change.

On the 28th February, 2022, there was a Press Release for the release of the IPCC report addressing the current state of climate change.

The world faces unavoidable hazards over the next two decades, and our response will influence the outcome – with some of the damage already being irreversible.

The focus of the press conference was on the impact of climate change, our current vulnerabilities and how we should adapt.

Yet most, if not all, issues with the climate crises are interlinked – climate, biodiversity, and people.

Here, pebble highlights some of the key takeaways from the report.

5 Key Things To Know From the IPCC 2022 Report

1. We need to act now

Not just small groups or communities, but the entire world needs to work towards a more sustainable future.

We are currently set to raise the planet’s temperatures by 1.5C within the next two decades. This needs to change.

Currently, one in three people are exposed to deadly heat, and is projected to increase to somewhere between 50% and 70% by the end of the year.

There is no one answer to stopping climate change, but instead multiple answers that are all interlinked.

In a positive sense, climate action will promote more sustainable and equal opportunities for people.

2. We need more sustainable food

The IPCC report details the impact of unsustainable farming and how it affects:

Soil health,
Pollinators,
Crop-based systems,
Livestock-based systems,
Forestry systems,
Ocean-based systems,
Supply chain
Food security/consumption/nutrition

The report addresses the unsustainable methods of farming, and how it negatively impacts entire ecosystems both on land and in water.

It states that we need to adapt more agro-ecology methods, methods which prioritise the ecosystems.

For example, agro-ecology greatly improves soil health which influences everything on the planet including the quantity and quality of food.

The report also details that this gives an opportunity to support the people.

3. Water

Water is crucial for ecosystems to thrive. The IPCC highlights the changes and predicted changes due to climate change.

They call for more water recycling, as agriculture currently accounts for 70% of water.

There also needs to be more flood-related adaptation and preventative measures, with the threat of rising sea levels and degraded landscapes.

Half a million additional people are at the risk of serious flooding every year.

Degraded landscapes also result in a worse quality of water, while increased rainfall and temperatures encourage the spread of diseases – affecting landscapes, ecosystems and people.

There will undoubtedly be negative impacts on ecosystems, creating conflicts, human migration and disproportionately affecting those who already have a lack of water security.

4. Infrastructure of settlements

As the world becomes more susceptible to extreme weather, infrastructures need to adapt to prevent mass disaster.

With increasing amounts of people living in urban areas, there are increasing amounts of ecological damage.

The IPCC calls for more nature based solutions and more physical infrastructures that incorporate nature.

Urban areas with more nature helps prevent extreme weather, like flooding, and helps maintain local temperatures.

The report detailed that maintaining the resilience of nature depends on 30-50% of the Earth’s land and waters being conserved.

Currently, this stands at less than 15% of land and 29% of waters under conservation. Consequently, urban areas need to accommodate nature’s needs.

5. Humanity needs to unite

The most vulnerable areas in the world that are susceptible to climate change are the most vulnerable communities.

Creating a sustainable world involves confronting social structures and political and economic systems. The underlying values of world systems need to prioritise the planet.

One of the ways that the science community has done this is by cooperating with Indigenous populations and learning from their knowledge systems – acknowledging multiple forms of knowledge.

This needs to spread across all structures and prioritise everyone’s well being – if some people suffer due to climate change, we all do.