IPCC Press Conference - Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability -

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good morning ladies and gentlemen and given that we have reporters joining from virtually all time zones i should also add good afternoon and good evening welcome to this press conference by the intergovernmental panel on climate change my name is andre mahertich and i'm the head of the ipcc communications and i will be moderating today's press conference today we are releasing the latest ipcc report on climate change impacts adaptation and vulnerability we will be also presenting the scientific findings related to it we have several distinguished speakers today their brief statements will be followed by the official presentation of the report i'll start just with a few words about the running of the press conference the instructions on how to submit questions have already been shared with the ipcc accredited media yesterday and again this morning when submitting your questions please do indicate your name your media organization and to whom your question is directed to we will try to accommodate as many questions as possible but due to high level of media interest we may simply not be able to address them all we are scheduled to wrap up this press conference by 1 30 pm central european time i'm pleased now to welcome the secretary of the intergovernmental panel on climate change mr abdullah moxiet who will introduce today's speakers thank you all for joining us today for the release of this important report this ipcc report on impacts adaptation and vulnerability to climate change for laws the report on the physical science basis we launched in august 2021 it also comes before the two last reports which we expect this year with this report we will conclude the sixth assessment report of the ipcc the most intense in the history of ipcc we are successfully con we have successfully completed the second ever ipcc virtual approval session and i wish to express my deep appreciation to the scientists working on voluntary basis the government's observers organization and everyone else who contributed to this report the ipcc is a unique interface between policy and science and that's makes this is that's what makes our reports the most credible resource on climate change for decision makers at all levels i am incredibly honored to welcome and introduce our distinguished guest speakers first we will see the video message from the united nations secretary general antonio goteris today we will also hear from our chair the ipcc chair pro professor hussoli and the two head of our parent organizations the world meteorological organization secret original professor peter dallas and the united environment program executive director dr inger anderson we we also have to the two co-chairs who led the production of the reports dr deborah roberts and dr hans auto partner we will now see the video message from the united nations secretary general antonio guterres dear representatives of the media i've seen many scientific reports in my time but nothing like this today's ipcc report is an atlas of human suffering and the damning indictment of failed climate leadership with fact upon fact this report reveals our people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change nearly half of humanity is living in the danger zone now many ecosystems are at the point of no return now and checked carbon pollution is forcing the world's most vulnerable on a frog march to destruction now the facts are undeniable this abdication of leadership is criminal the world's biggest polluters are guilty of arson on our only home it is essentially to meet the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and science tells us that will require the world to cut emissions by 45 by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 but according to current commitments global emissions are set to increase almost 14 percent over the current decade that spells catastrophe it will destroy any chance of keeping 1.5 alive today's report underscores two core truths first coal and other fossil fuels are chocking humanity all g20 governments have agreed to stop funding call abroad they must now urgently do the same at home and dismantle their coal fleets those in the private sector still financing coal must be held to account oil and gas giants and their underwriters are also on notice you cannot claim to be green while your plans and projects undermine the 2050 net zero target and ignore the major emission cuts that must occur this decade people see through the smoke screen oecd countries must phase out coal by 2030 and all others by 2040 the present global energy mix is broken as current events make all too clear our continued reliance on fossil fuels makes the global economy and energy security vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises instead of slowing down the decarbonization of the global economy now is the time to accelerate the energy transition to a renewable energy future fossil fuels are a dead end for our planet for humanity and yes for economies a prompt well managed transition to renewables is the only pathway to energy security universal access and the green jobs our world needs i'm calling for developed countries multilateral development banks private finances and others to form coalitions to help measure emerging economies and the use of coal these targeted mechanisms of support would be over and above existing sustainable development needs the second core finding from this report is slightly better news investments in adaptation work adaptation saves lives as climate impacts worsen and they will scaling up investments will be essential for survival adaptation and mitigation must be pursued with equal force and urgency that is why i've been pushing to get the 50 of all climate finance for adaptation the glasgow commitment on adaptation funding is not enough to meet the challenges faced by nations on the front lines of the climate crisis i'm also pressing to remove the obstacles that prevent small island states and least developed countries from getting the finance they desperately need to save lives and livelihoods we need new eligibility systems to deal with this new reality delay means death i take inspiration from all those on the front lines of the climate battle fighting back with solutions all development banks multilateral regional national know what needs to be done work with governments to design pipelines of bankable adaptation projects and help them find the funding public and private and every country must honor the glasgow pledge to strengthen national climate plans every year until they are aligned with 1.5 degrees celsius the g20 must lead the way our humanity will pay an even more tragic price i know people everywhere are anxious and angry i am too now is the time to turn rage into action every fraction of the degree matters every voice can make a difference and every second counts thank you following secretary general's message i now invite the chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change dr houston lee to take the floor thank you very much distinguished representatives of the media wmu secretary general petery unh executive director anderson we have just heard a powerful message from the u.n secretary general antonio gutierrez the findings of the ipcc report we are releasing today are clear the stakes for our planet have never been higher last august the ipcc's working group one report showed unequivocally that human activities have warmed the climate at a rate not seen in at least the past 2000 years we are on course to reaching global warming of 1.5 degrees celsius within the next two decades and temperature will continue to rise unless the world takes much bolder action the working group 2 report we are releasing today provides the latest understanding of what does this warming means for the people ecosystems and the planet the report is a warning about a dire warning about the consequences of inaction it shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our well-being and a healthy planet it also shows that our action today will shape how people able to adapt to climate change and how nature responds to increasing climate risks severe climate change impacts are already happening vulnerable people those marginalized socially and economically are the most exposed to climate change impacts and have the least resources to adapt today we also deepen our understanding of solutions to climate change and how adaptation can help us lower risks and reduce vulnerability these solutions open new opportunities for innovation in our societies and economies our collective and individual adaptation can be an effective strategy but there are limits to how much we and other species can adapt beyond certain temperatures adaptation is no longer possible for some species our report is a blueprint for our future on this planet it recognizes the interdependence of climate ecosystems and biodiversity and people it integrates natural ecological social and economic sciences more strongly than in earlier ipcc assessments it provides new knowledge and information at regional levels and focuses on cities where the majority of people live and opportunities for adaptation and mitigation arise critically this report highlights the importance of including and using diverse forms of knowledge such as indigenous and local knowledge but most importantly it emphasizes the urgency of immediate and more ambitious action to address climate risks have measures are no longer an action thank you thank you chair for these compelling remarks i now invite the secretary general of the world meteorological organization petri talus to take the floor today we are releasing the second part of the ipcc sixth assessment report wmo is proud to be the co-hosting and founding organization of ipcc the physical science basis report was published in august today we are talking about already very visible impacts of climate change report says that climate sense induced by us humans has caused widespread negative impacts to nature people beyond natural climate variability altogether 127 risks have been identified covering very wide range of sectors like health agriculture economy infrastructure and ecosystems our atmosphere today is on steroids doped with fossil fuels this is already leading to stronger longer and more frequent extreme weather events climate change induced disasters come with high human and economic impacts more than four four in ten people in the world live in contexts highly vulnerable to climate change global hot spots are found in parts of africa southern asia small island developing states and central and south america in many of those countries population growth urbanization and unsustainable development practices are boosting the exposure of people and ecosystems to climate change but all countries are affected as we have seen in germany united states and canada last year it is essential to raise the ambition level of climate mitigation that would also have a positive impact on air quality and is vital to tackle the looming water crisis and sea level rise climate mitigation offers also great business opportunities in many sectors like energy transport industry and nutrition besides mitigation it is more and more critical to pay attention to adaptation since the negative trend in weather extremes will anyhow continue for the coming decades and sea level rise for centuries due to the record high concentration of carbon dioxide one of the powerful ways to adapt is to invest in early warning services but the basic weather and climate observing networks have severe gaps in africa and island states only half of the 193 members of wmo have proper weather climate and hydrological services this leads to higher human and economic losses thank you very much thank you secretary general talas for these important remarks i now invite inge anderson the executive director of unep united nations environment program to take the floor thank you so much and to you professor hussain lee to you petry my colleague of course to abdullah moxie's secretary of ipcc and to the co-chairs dr deborah roberts and dr hans otto portner and to the amazing and formidable ipcc scientific community and friends greetings from nairobi we are in the midst of united nations environment assembly um which gathers here to look at environmental issues and this report comes at a time of great turmoil when we need strong multilateralism to promote peace and healthy environment and the message this report sends is clear climate change isn't lurking around the corner waiting to pounce it's already already upon us raining down blows on billions of people we're seeing dangerous disruption across the natural world species are migrating in such more livable conditions in climate risk hot spots deaths from floods droughts or storms were 15 times higher than those in more resilient countries over the last decade this is climate injustice particularly for indigenous people and local communities and all of this and more at only 1.1 degrees celsius of global warming even if we limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius the blows will come harder and faster as things stand we're heading to closer to 3 degrees celsius we are in an emergency heading for a disaster we can't keep taking these hits and treating the wounds soon those wounds would be too deep too catastrophic to heal we need to soften and slow the blows by cutting greenhouse gas emissions but we also need to cushion the blows by picking up our efforts to adapt to climate change which have been too weak for too long the best way to do this is to let nature do the job it spends millions of years perfecting absorbing and channeling rainwater and surging waves maintaining biodiversity and balance in the soils so that diverse plants can grow providing cooling shade under leafy canopies we need large-scale ecosystem restoration from ocean to mountaintop including through agreeing to start negotiations on the global plastic pollution agreement here in nairobi at the fifth united nations environment assembly we need to bring nature into baking hot cities to keep them cool we need to conserve mangroves coral reefs and other nature's defenses we need to protect and restore wetlands for nature and incorporate wetlands into our cities backing nature is the best way to adapt to and to slow climate change while providing jobs and boosting economies we must start dedicating thought and funding to transformational adaptation programs with nature at their heart humanity has spent centuries treating nature like its worst enemy the truth is that nature can be our savior but only if we save it first thank you thank you director anderson for these thoughtful remarks i we will now hear the presentation of the report's findings from the co-chairs of the working group to dr debra roberts and dr hans otto pertner thank you andre it's indeed a great pleasure to welcome the global community to the start of a really important global conversation where i and my fellow co-chair will present the outcomes of five years of hard work by the global scientific community so welcome everyone around the world firstly thank you to everyone for joining us and certainly as the co-chairs of working group two and on behalf of our authors we are very proud to present this latest report from the intergovernmental panel on climate change which focuses on climate change impacts adaptation and vulnerability 270 authors from 67 countries have worked tirelessly to produce this report over the last five years they have assessed 34 000 scientific papers to prepare their findings during the review process they considered each one of 62 418 comments from experts and governments which have helped make the report as comprehensive and clear as possible we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this process let us now share some of the key findings which reflect our growing scientific knowledge and provide the best understanding yet of climate change impacts risks options to adapt and the limits we face perhaps this statement best summarizes our findings the scientific evidence is unequivocal climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief and rapidly closing window to secure a livable future this report offers solutions to the world and in the next 20 minutes we will explore these with you but let's start with the impacts sorry for this technical glitch let's start from the beginning global warming from one of 1.51 degrees celsius has caused dangerous and widespread disruption in nature the increased frequency intensity and duration of extreme events on land and in the ocean is driving mass mortalities for example in trees as we show here in this drought-stressed forest in california usa and climate change is affecting the lives and livelihoods of billions of people the impacts from human induced intensification of tropical cyclones sea level rise and heavy rainfall have resulted in increased losses and damages impacts are magnified in cities where more than half the world's population lives heat waves amplify urban heat islands and air pollution to affect people's health critical infrastructure such as transport water sanitation and energy systems have been compromised by extreme events [Music] when multiple extreme events happen at the same time they compound the overall risk and are more difficult to manage what we see here is an example of how heat and drought combined to cause reduction in crop yields made worse by reduced productivity because of heat stress amongst farm workers reduced yields lead to reductions in household incomes increased food prices locally and potentially globally climate risks do not respect national boundaries and weather related extremes are creating shocks to global trade in the previous slide we illustrated the powerful impacts of climate change on nature and people's lives in this assessment it is based on a new understanding of these interconnections we can no longer think in silos but have to look across climate biodiversity and human society and well-being if we want to tackle the many global challenges we face today and talking of other challenges climate change combines with unsustainable use of natural resources habitat destruction deforestation and growing urbanization as well as in equity and marginalization these trends not only present threats to ecosystems and the people who rely on them but also reduce the capacities of nature communities and individuals to adapt to climate change 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in global hot spots of high vulnerability to climate change these are across large parts of africa as well as south asia central and south america small islands and the arctic in these global hot spots overlapping challenges include limited access to water sanitation and health services high levels of climate sensitive livelihoods such as smallholder farmers and fishing communities all increase vulnerability high levels of poverty weak leadership lack of funding lack of accountability and trust in government also play a part looking to the future every small increase in warming will result in increased risks to nature and to people in every region of the world here we see a bleached coral colony on a dying reef of okinawa japan let's consider some of these projected impacts on nature this map gives an overview of biodiversity loss at different warming levels we would see species extinctions and losses of entire ecosystems such as mountain tops tropical coral reefs and coastal wetlands even if we temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees warming for several decades the risk of extinction in biodiversity hot spots increases by about 10 fold as warming rises from 1.5 to 3 degrees celsius nature services support all aspects of our lives from pollination and tourism to health and climate regulation loss of ecosystems and their services has cascading and long-term impacts on people globally especially for indigenous peoples and local communities who directly depend on them globally population exposure due to heat waves will continue to increase with additional warming at approximately 2 degrees celsius regions that are highly dependent on snowmelt could experience a 20 decline in water availability for agriculture beyond 2050 and we know that climate change will undermine food security at 2 degrees warming by 2050 people in sub-saharan africa south asia central and south america and on small islands are likely to experience food shortages leading to malnutrition about a billion people living in low-lying cities and other settlements on the coast are projected to be at risk from sea level rise and other climate hazards by mid-century we provide a global perspective here but this report also has an extensive regional focus we have outlined the challenges we face and how they will increase at higher warming levels the key question now is how well are we adapting to changing climate what we show is that action has increased but progress is uneven and we are not adapting fast enough growing public and political awareness of climate impacts and risks has resulted in at least 170 countries and many cities including adaptation in their climate policies and planning however there are increasing gaps between adaptation action taken and what's needed these gaps are largest among lower income populations at the current rate of planning and implementation these adaptation gaps will continue to grow [Music] let's now turn our attention to how we adapt and in this report we show that there are feasible effective options we can take to reduce the risk to people in nature but their effectiveness decreases with increasing warming when we think of adaptation our first thoughts must be around reducing flood risk or preventing water shortages but what we show is that the strengthening of health systems can reduce the impacts of infectious diseases heat stress and other climate related risks as well as the trauma associated with extreme events this is particularly effective if it's combined with other measures such as disease surveillance early warning systems and improving access to potable water nature offers significant untapped potential not only to reduce climate risks and deal with the causes of climate change but also to improve people's lives and livelihoods agroforestry is a climate resilient way of growing food and creating wildlife habitat here we see a nigerian rubber farmer diversifying his business with food crops fruit trees and bees conservation protection and restoration can help natural forests to adapt planting a range of tree species managing pests and diseases and reducing risk can help build climate resilience in managed forests in agriculture irrigation can be effective but it can also result in adverse outcomes such as accelerated depletion of groundwater this and other adaptation measures provide economic and ecological benefits as well as reducing vulnerability in urban areas and elsewhere effective urban management can secure drinking water most action to date has occurred around water-related hazards such as reducing the risk from floods and droughts letting nature take its course such as restoring wetlands and rivers and creating no build zones can reduce flood risks the effectiveness of most water-related adaptation declines with increasing warming food security can be enhanced by making the food system more resilient for example through adopting stress tolerant crops and livestock agroforestry and diversification on farms community-based adaptation that is locally driven that respects local and indigenous knowledge systems and is adequately resourced can also be effective strengthening biodiversity can improve pest control pollination carbon storage and it can provide shade for temperature sensitive crops such as coffee and cacao this all brings a range of other benefits for nutrition health and well-being and livelihoods by 2050 urban areas could be home to two-thirds of the world's population cities also offer opportunities to transform using nature and engineering approaches together is important to manage flood risk for example it might be important to install flood proofing on buildings improve drainage along roads and create space for water within the city at the same time as constructing flood defenses establishing or restoring green and blue spaces parks green corridors ponds and wetlands as well as urban agriculture can all be woven into the built environment social safety nets for disaster management can help people overcome the impacts of climate change and can provide financial security additional benefits include public health improvements especially from reducing heat stress and ecosystem conservation informal settlements we show how local knowledge adequate funding skills and tools as well as policy makers and residents working together can deliver adaptation at a city scale accountability transparency and commitment from government is also most important here we see community sanitation facilities being built and water tanks being installed in informal settlements in india we have evidence of maladiation adaptation that results in unintended consequences for example increased climate-related risks or increased greenhouse gas emissions in this photograph on the left are sea defenses that may not be strong enough to protect the people living behind them people can be lulled into a false sense of security compare this to an example from delaware in the usa of how it's possible to use nature to provide flood protection indigenous peoples ethnic minorities and disadvantaged groups for example low-income households and those living in informal settlements are some of the most affected by maladaptation this reinforces and entrenches existing inequalities we know that there are adaptation limits adaptation cannot prevent all losses and damages and even with effective adaptation limits will be reached with higher levels of warming some natural solutions will no longer work above 1.5 degrees celsius warming above 1.5 degrees celsius a lack of fresh water could mean that people living on small islands and those dependent on glaciers and snowmelt can no longer adapt and by 2 degrees celsius it may be especially challenging to farm multiple staple crops in many current growing areas particularly in tropical regions if we focus on financial constraints we see that current global financial flows are insufficient especially in developing countries the overwhelming majority of global tract climate finance was targeted at emission reductions while a small portion went on adaptation climate impacts that result in higher levels of losses and damages also slow down economic growth and thus reduce the availability of financial resources to avoid mounting losses urgent action is required to adapt to climate change but that's not enough at the same time it is essential to make rapid deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to keep the maximum number of adaptation options open so how do we accelerate and sustain adaptation political commitment and follow through across all levels of government is key greater adaptation is present where national climate laws and policies require adaptation action from lower levels of government and include guidelines on how to do this another area worth focusing on is institutional frameworks with clear goals and priorities that define responsibilities these frameworks can impose duties upon governments to implement adaptation actions for example around conservation sustainable use of beaches urban development and targeting diseases exacerbated by climate change enhancing knowledge of impacts risks and available adaptation options encourages actions from society and policy makers educational and information programs and the arts can play a part monitoring and evaluation is important to track progress because in a warming world measures that are effective now might not work in 20 years adaptation strategies might have to be revised constantly revisions should be fact and data driven and finally inclusive governance that prioritizes equity and justice is also important citizens civil society organizations should participate directly in planning and decision making it's important to highlight that adaptation measures offer wider benefits if we consider that 3.4 billion people living in rural areas many of whom are highly vulnerable to climate change resilience can be improved by providing social safety nets improved roads reliable energy clean water and improved food security these measures not only build climate resilience but they also go hand in hand with helping to lift people out of poverty and achieving the united nations sustainable development goal one these other simple examples demonstrate how different goals may be achieved in a variety of circumstances in this report we have looked at these synergies in some depth and this is how we illustrate the multiple benefits of adaptation options if you look at this figure you see forest-based adaptation it shows that it is a feasible adaptation option that will also help absorb and store carbon so it has mitigation potential and it helps achieve multiple sustainable development goals marked here with a plus likewise if we look at options in our cities we see that green infrastructure green roofs parks and street trees play a part in helping us adapt by providing shade and water management they also absorb and store carbon again they help with multiple un goals what we see here is the foundation for a solutions framework that is an important new concept in this report let's explore this now if we look at this figure we see a spectrum of futures from a world with low resilience and high risk to one with high resilience and low risk this high resilience low risk future and world has reduced climate risks through adaptation reduced greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation and enhanced biodiversity these measures together support sustainable development for example no poverty zero hunger good health and well-being and access to clean water and sanitation this concept is climate resilient development climate resilient development has to be considered across government and all of civil society it should involve everyone round the table governments citizens communities educational institutions the media investors and businesses forming partnerships scientific indigenous and local knowledge and practical know-how come together to provide more relevant effective options ecosystem stewardship is key a healthy planet is fundamental to climate resilient development effective and equitable conservation of approximately 30 to 50 percent of land fresh water systems and oceans can help ensure a healthy planet involving traditionally marginalized groups including women young people indigenous peoples local communities and ethnic minorities improves the prospects for effective action it is critical to prioritize equity and justice in decision making and investment different interests values and world views can be reconciled if everyone works together scaled up investment and international cooperation are also important starting today every action every choice and every decision matters because each of them can take us away from or towards a climate resilient sustainable world worldwide action to achieve climate resilient and sustainable development is more urgent than previously assessed climate resilient development is already challenging at current global warming levels the prospects will be further limited if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees celsius and may not be possible in some regions including small islands deserts mountains and polar regions if warming exceeds 2 degrees celsius the science is clear any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a livable future this report offers solutions to the world this presentation has given you a snapshot of a wide range of topics that are covered in depth in this report it's over to you now thank you thank you dr roberts and dr partner for the for your presentation uh we will now turn to questions before we do that just to note that in addition to the summary for policy makers the technical summary and full report we also have several other resources including a global to regional atlas we have also extracted critical regional information into a series of fact sheets all these materials are available on the ipcc website to the questions now and for the first one i will be looking for a brief comments from both co-chairs it's from seth bornstein with the associated press can you address the sense of gloom and foreboding in the future painted here how less livable a world do you see if major emission cuts and adaptations aren't made and how big a problem do you see climate immigration and climate connected conflict in 2014 sorry in 2040 and in 2100 sorry in 2020 in 2100 dr roberts thank you so much for that question i would rephrase that i don't think the report gives a sense of gloom what it does do though is it gives a very serious reality check about where we are where we might go to but also provides us with the sense that we can be agents for change if we look at the challenges that we're currently facing a lot of those can be addressed by creating a more equitable and sustainable world by developing a new social compact with the planet that we live on and by focusing our attention where we get most bang for the buck protecting nature as has been previously mentioned but also using the opportunity to change the places where the majority of people live in our cities so i think that's the important message to take forward a difficult reality but action is possible and we need to do it now dr portner adding to this think thank you adding to this is an important aspect that the choice should not be gloom and doom the options are clear and the choices are clear so the world has a limited time bond or available to move on on the right track and this understanding needs to evolve among policy makers and among society and i think the what what this indicates that we see currently in inertia in implementation and that we currently see a large implementation gap is that this comes together with an education gap and an information gap so the collaboration of science and the media is important but what is also important is to improve the understanding of these basic rules of how life best functions on our planet and what is also important that there are natural laws that we should not break and that should not be broken in similar ways as we do not cross thread traffic slides in in our cities so this is i think a point of orientation and our report provides that orientation by following these options it gives us hope that the sustainable and climate resilient world can be achieved thank you very much the next question is for dr roberts the report paints a green prospect for africa and small islands developing states other alternative solutions for short and long term to alter direction from grim opportunities thank you so much for that question indeed as i said before the report is a real reality check and it's particularly a reality check for the developing areas of of the globe africa has called out the small island states asia central and south america but there are also the prospects for dynamic change in those areas if we see for example a change in financial flows around the world an investment in sustainable development in these areas if we take bold action in terms of emission reduction then much can be done to reduce the exposure and vulnerability of areas such as the small island states africa particularly where i come from has an enormous opportunity in terms of very rich natural heritage to take that and use that as an increased adaptive capacity to deal with climate change both its impacts but also the impacts that it has across our economies across our development options so i think while these areas are threatened there is no doubt that there is room for improvement both in terms of global partnerships to foster sustainable development but also to use the enormous natural sources of continents like africa as a way to tackle the climate change challenge thank you very much question for both co-chairs if increasingly this is from thomson reuters foundation if increasingly clear warnings about the existential risks of climate change are not driving anywhere near sufficient action how do we drive that needed action perhaps first to dr portner and then to dr roberts quick comments please things well i'm afraid to say that increasing climate change and the associated impacts and and risks and their implementation are certainly an important motivation for the the mobilization we need in society and in policy we have seen that with the release of the 1.5 degree celsius report in 2018 which was bringing climate change close to the individual on this planet and this has started a mobilization that i think still needs to continue and still needs to be strengthened so calling out climate change as an ally in that mobilization is certainly not a good perspective we would rather like to see the risks being reduced and those impacts being avoided but climate change already gives us strong examples of what can happen if the if the climate system is is brought out of the balance that it has had for the last eight thousand years during the time when human civilization was built in in in that respect making and bringing this close to the thinking of policy makers and also of society is i think an important task that will need to be fulfilled and this the in-depth understanding will mobilize the action and the resources that are needed for this task perhaps just building on that response i think what is powerful about our working group ii report is that we speak to the very places that people live work and relax in we've got a very strong regional focus and i think that enables us to bring messaging that increases the agency of human society you will see that in this report particularly we've got a very strong focus on the issue of human settlements urban areas rural settlements and particularly in cities where the majority of people live we speak directly to the challenges that cities are facing now the impacts on infrastructure the increase in the heat island effect and the challenges that all of those pose to human health and economic development but we also lay out the solutions that may be available to urban areas around the world to tackle those challenges and i think it's by providing that very clear line of sight between where i live and the problems i face to the kind of solutions i may be involved in empowers people to take action and i think we see that more and more as the science becomes clearer and relates more and more to people's lives people mobilize more and so i'm still optimistic about the ability to mobilize extensively around this report and create the kind of societal response that we need to see thank you very much to add to this once more andre i'm sorry for interrupting you any short-term action and any compromise with respect to to other sectors that and compromises are an important part of of the political thinking and action should have the long-term implications in mind should consider the orientation for example that our report provides in in terms of what are the implications for the long-term future if things go wrong in in the short term and this emphasizes the the thought about the closing window of opportunity so anything any decisions to be made during this crucial decade in climate policy are important for our long-term fate and war for the sustainability of life on this planet thank you thank you very much for that response the next question is for the secretary general of the world meteorological organization it is from thomson reuters foundation the question is the report makes clear that soft limits to adaptation are being reached already including due to a lack of finance despite the urgency can this report finally shift the needle in terms of spurring more adaptation finance to the vulnerable and if so how [Music] thank you for that question uh uh it's clear that we have to invest more in adaptation besides mitigation mitigation is of course essential and we have to stop this negative trend in in climate and and that's that's very urgent as as also this report because but besides that we have to start investing in adaptation because the negative trending climate will continue until 2060 is independent of our success in climate mitigation and and working through one report which was published last august was demonstrating that that the sea level rise and melting of the glaciers may continue for the coming hundreds of years so that means that that we have partly already lost the battle and and we have to pay more attention to how to media how to mitigate climate related uh risks and and this has to be taken into account in in various sectors in the society it's going to affect food security it's going to affect the infrastructures it's going to affect health and and and it's going to hit also economies very hard it was already demonstrated by the so-called stern report 15 years ago that it's uh it's up to 20 times cheaper to to to mitigate climate change than that live with the consequences and now we are we are already facing these consequences and and they will become stronger during the coming coming decades anyhow and one powerful way to adapt to climate change is to invest in early warning services which are in fairly poor shape in less developed countries and we have also major gaps in the basic observing systems especially in africa caribbean pacific islands which means that early warning services the quality is poor there and and we don't know where to adapt to because we don't have the baseline so we have to invest in both basic observing systems and early warning services and take adaptation into account in many sectors as this report is is is emphasizing thank you very much for that response the next question is for the chair of the ipcc dr hua sung lee as well as for dr roberts uh the question is it's from south china morning post the question is the report mentioned asia's risks and adaptation options to climate change how do you assess china's resistance to the risks of water-related natural hazards energy insecurity and asset losses as mentioned in the report ipcc there is an intergovernmental panel on climate change issues and uh we are not in the position of uh commenting on specifically our member government's policies and programs and thus if debra dr roberts wish to add please go ahead yes thank you very much for for that question if we look at the information we provide on the area of asia generally we can see that we've already got millions of people in places like asia which are subject to of acute food and water challenges in the present so this is not a forward-looking issue we have millions of people already affected by acute food and water shortages now in places like asia and if we think about a world of two degrees of global warming then we know that under those conditions even areas where we are capable of growing staple crops now will become unavailable for for cultivation and so we can see the rate of challenge is going to increase as every element of global warming increases the level of risk to which we are exposed the range of impacts that we have to deal with and so asia like many parts of the world will have to deal with severe and current food and water crises going forward and that's the importance of adaptation we need to think about new ways of dealing with these problems and our report talks to those solutions new ways of cultivation new crop types thinking about how we conserve our water resources and and we know particularly asia is critical because they have the water towers of the world in the mountains and so thinking about those mountain ecosystems and the conservation of those ecosystems is important but that scale of intervention is only possible if we've got governance that allows all levels of activity to be coordinated if we've got adequate financial support and civil society is brought to the table in order to participate in finding solutions thank you very much for that uh the next question again quick responses from uh both co-chairs the group one report said that we are going to reach and the question is from our newspapers in barcelona the group one report said that we are going to reach 1.5 degrees celsius no matter what before 2040 and in the better case scenario we may reduce it after that then your predictions about extinction of species when we reach 1.5 degrees celsius will be reached before 2040 for sure what are the scenarios after that dr portner first and perhaps then dr roberts yeah thank you thank you very much for that question certainly we have considered overshoot scenarios in in our report and have also considered their time duration and they would last uh several decades until end of century before the temperature would be falling again and and during that time spent we expect the same level of impact as if we would uh have a stabilized level of increased increased warming at higher higher temperatures it is fully in line with the statement that every bit of warming matters so moving towards overshoot scenarios is is not a safe haven that this strategy might might promise it will uh also lead to irreversible consequences the melting of polar ice sheets will be increased sea level rise will be increased the loss of habitat and species with the potential for local extinction patterns will will also increase and there is an increasing risk associated with those higher temperatures of species losses entirely as we have projected in the in the report that this uh increase is is occurring in terms of the percent of of species increasing with increasing degrees of warming over this overshoot this exclude going for overshoot as a valid strategy in climate uh mitigation i think an important addition to that and and really the core dna of of the story we tell in the working group 2 report is how closely human and natural systems are interconnected and as hunts has pointed out we have systems such as mountain tops coral reefs and others coastal wetlands which will be challenged in a scenario of overshoot and this is critical because we're not only talking about the loss of ecosystems we're talking about the loss of ecosystems that are absolutely critical to underpinning the livelihoods often of the most vulnerable in the world and so this really raises the profile of the adaptation agenda because we need to think about not only how we adapt to those changes in ecosystems are there things we can do by increasing conservation areas management looking for a future but what do we do with the human societies that are impacted by these changes and again this talks to the need to tie in our climate change response to a strong development response so that vulnerable communities have social safety nets we put in place basic infrastructure we think about realignment of financial resources and so our report really speaks to this complex interrelationships of problems that we all need to get around the table to solve thank you very much dr roberts the next question is for you also you mentioned cities being key sites for positive climate action what are some of the most effective systems and strategy strategies you have seen work practically on a city-wide level and what enhances their efficacy efficacy there's no doubt that cities offer us an important global scaled but time limited opportunity to act to increase our adaptive capacity the majority of us already live in urban areas and cities and certainly by the middle of the century two-thirds of us will be living in urban areas the opportunities in urban areas are multiple around planning and design of infrastructure bringing nature back into the city so often we've thought about nature as something that occurs outside city borders but our report points out very clearly that if we bring nature back into the city protect our floodplains have trees along our streets we can do a great deal to increase our adaptive capacity to deal with impacts of floods heat stress improve health and so there's a real advantage in reconceptualizing our cities not only as a place of people but a place of nature we also need to know though that amongst our cities there's a subset the coastal cities and we know that we will have about a billion people living in low-lying coastal areas by the middle of the century that are particularly at risk and they're particularly at risk because of the impacts of sea level rise salination flooding heavy rainfall and those are areas we would probably need to act on initially because there are areas of high economic activity connectivity to inland areas and because of the range of risks they're exposed to and in those areas we would need to think for example about coastal defenses moving away from hard sea walls to more productive coastal ecosystems early warning systems to enable people to know when risks are emerging and to make suitable plans to factor in that we need good governance and that if one wants decent responses to the challenges that many of these areas would face we have to have everyone around the table agreeing on the plans and this includes the most vulnerable and the report is really important because it focuses us not only on the formal aspects of urban development but calls off very strongly the informal settlements around the world where many of the most vulnerable live and calls for a specific focus on these and a call to start investing in our informal settlements to change the tide both literally and figuratively thank you dr roberts next one for dr portner with this is from cnn with everything going on how would you like this report to be interpreted and prioritized by policy makers and the world at large and what do you expect from journalists to help keep the momentum going in the coming months and years thank you very much for for this important question the report talks about the impacts risks it also talks about our possibilities to adapt and and brings those solution options to the fore talking also about the effectiveness and their feasibility but most importantly we also talk about mal adaptation and we talk about adaptation limits and these adaptation limits together with the the information about risk provide orientation for the action of policy makers and also which future to go for and and this reports strengthens uh the message around the agreement reached with with the paris agreement and it strengthens to move and push for the more ambitious side side of it with uh by casting light on the most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet on the most vulnerable people on the planet and also on the challenges that actually for some species and also for humans we are starting to lose habitat in in the most exposed areas of the planet which are close to the equator in the ocean we already seeing a development of a biodiversity valley indicating uh and as a consequence of species moving out moving towards the poles there are also some areas on the on the planet that are represent environmental conditions where people can no longer be outside and this is representing the same for our species as for others the loss of habitat so these trends will be strengthened with with climate change and i think continued uh communication between uh scientists and and the media as well as policy makers is needed to to bring those such information to the fore and as i said to provide the the information for um ambitious action and when i talk about action i mean action along various lines uh that uh consider the um interactions between nature human society and and the climate system and correct for the current imbalances that we see in these interactions due to the the changing climate we are currently observing in terms of motivating uh policy makers i think it needs a mix of of actions as i said in the short term the information flow from science to policy makers and carried forward through the media emphasized by the media also the media reporting uh from the the societal engagement and mobilization that is happening is is key but there is also urgency in developing the education systems both the the the lower and higher education systems towards aspects and curricula that consider these existential challenges to humankind which will be with us for decades and maybe even centuries uh to come and educating the young and informing the adult population about these challenges will be key for ambitious global action thank you thank you very much for that response the next question is from la repubblica for dr roberts do you think individual change that means change of way of life is important at the same level of government and cooperation or people have to wait before a strong commitment at an ins at an institutional level first thank you thank you so much for that important question because it speaks to each one of us and the way we live our lives and i think our report is very clear it indicates that this has to be a whole of society response so not a single individual community city or government can opt out we all need to opt in to the solution and a key part of that is obviously the way we live our lives the choices we make about how we live those lives but importantly how we use our sense of agency in the world how we engage with governance processes you know how we engage with leadership in our communities the kind of priorities we express about the kind of world we want to see which will influence policies so all of this is critical the individual can play a vital role through the choices and actions they take and make in their lives there are many things that individuals cannot change and that rely on governments at all levels local provincial regional national international to act and we need that to be concerted but again governments by themselves can't act alone and we must see the private sector coming to the table as well and so it requires all of us to be playing our part in different ways but ensuring that those actions are fully integrated i think this is what has been very clearly made as as a point in our report is that while action is happening it's not rapid enough and it's uneven so various elements of society are acting others aren't and we're not acting fast enough and so it's a really strong call for all of us to start doing the heavy lifting that's going to ensure a just equitable world and ensure that we have a sustainable planet for many generations still to come thank you very much for that response the next question is from the print in india it's for both co-chairs so i'll be looking for quick responses there the report talks about male adaptation how can countries prevent maladaptation in the long run while also addressing short-term needs what factors must policy takers consider at planning stage at the planning stage dr portner and then dr roberts yeah thank you for for this important question and we saw examples of of this on on the slide as far as coastal the building of coastal defenses is is concerned and it comes also to a point that i made earlier that for any short-term decision and consideration and possible compromise between strategies the long-term implement implications need to be considered for example if you if you develop strategies that meet the short-term food requirements of the local population but enhance ecosystem degradation and and also the soil and land degradation you you may meet the needs of the immediate adult uh and young population but uh you erode uh the sustainability there and you you bring uh the food sources to an end for the next generations another example is um the building of coastal defenses that i've just referred to if if you build hard sea walls you are with increasing sea level rise taking space away for the natural ecosystems that may help you the white floodplains the salt marshes or mongrel forests that would contribute to coastal protection would would have only a narrow area available to them to begin with and then this aerial arrow area would shrink uh continually and then there will be a point with increasing sea level where the question is to what extent and how high can you actually build those sea walls so there may there will be in that case abrupt adaptation the limits which then expose the local population to extreme events such as intensive flooding and so forth so that so shows the challenges of of combining information from climate projections in that aspect sea level rise projections and the local action to be taken to protect ecosystems and the population and develop an integrated approach this also argues to bridge between silos so from a more general and global perspective to just do climate mitigation as is currently in the focus of many developed countries reducing emissions and to not also consider the needs to protect nature and its capacity to enhance carbon storage that would also and can also lead to mild adaptation strategies and and potentially to the loss of the capacity of ecosystems to help mitigation thank you i think a very important point to add what uh to what hans has just said is i think the overall global message that's coming out of the ipcc in this assessment cycle is that the world we live in today is not going to be the world we live in five years 10 years or even 20 years from now and therefore we have to be much more vigilant about our actions and so certainly something that may increase our adaptive capacity today may be seen as a good adaptation option today may not be so 10 years from now or 20 years from now and that really speaks to the fact that we need processes that allow us to monitor and evaluate the impacts of our adaptation interventions in a variety of sectors across various elements and scales of our society that really speaks to a new partnership again between policy and science to enable that monitoring and evaluation but probably most importantly again speaks to a new social compact that sees the most vulnerable groups being drawn to the table because our report very clearly indicates that the groups most impacted by male adaptation are the vulnerable societies around the world the vulnerable communities those who live in formal settlements those who live in vulnerable areas and it's really critical if we are to monitor and evaluate not only to take a scientific perspective on the impacts of our interventions but also to hear from the grassroots from the people who are experiencing the impacts of these interventions to determine whether they're having the effect that is desired or in fact if they're becoming maladaptation so again it speaks to the fact that we can't have a linear approach to these problems we need to be talking to everyone to have them around the table and to be using all of our strengths to take the world forward thank you very much we have about 15 minutes left so next question again for dr roberts what is the role of agriculture production on the scenario presented by the report are south american crops at the risk so obviously agricultural production is a very important concern to working group two because that links back to well-being and livelihoods and economies what we do indicate that given the current impacts that we're seeing from climate change in the here and now as we've indicated before we're experi already experiencing acute food and water shortages in places like central and south america asia the small island states and so this is a real problem now what we know is that problem is going to escalate again in places like central and south america if we look at two degrees of global warming we know that areas that are currently growing staple crops will not be able to grow those at the same level of efficiency and effectiveness and so there are significant challenges coming for areas like south america africa asia in terms of overall food production thank you very much next question is more on the process and i'll direct it to the secretary of the ipcc can you please elaborate on how the crisis in ukraine has affected the last week climate negotiations between countries how do you look at publishing this report during this crisis for this question question the ipc session are closed the session they are closed session they are design designated in this way to allow frank and transparent discussion between government and scientists because of this closed nature of this approval session we are not discussing or paying attention to the presence the attendance or any uh you know participants for delegation this is something is closed and yes of course we are keeping on track the list of the participants and i we will provide the whole list of the participants in the report of disciplinary session thank you very much next question is from the washington post and it's for both co-chairs you have spoken about the numerous mitigation and technology options that are already available to society and how political will is the major barrier to transformation what does the working group 2 report tell us about how to build the political will that is necessary for change dr roberts and then dr putner thank you for that important question in fact this is not a new message for the ipcc that message was made very clear in the special report of 1.5 degrees celsius that in fact it's societal and political will which is the major challenge in moving forward towards a more resilient and sustainable present and future for everyone around the world what we look at in terms of working group 2 is how that support for change is built so we speak to the need for institutions that are inclusive that are well funded we speak to the need for participation in decision making so welcoming groups to the table particularly the vulnerable as i've indicated before we speak to the need for various levels of government to interact with one another to create the kind of environment that facilitates change so for example national government creating the policy framework for local government to act but also the appropriate flow of financial resources to enable that but ultimately political and societal will is determined by what each of us as individuals prioritize as important in our lives so over and above the structural changes that are needed in terms of government cooperation flow of finance it's important that we ourselves educate ourselves about the challenges we face and make those priorities known more broadly in society and to our leadership in order to encourage the public school that's necessary to take the bold and rapid action required in this decade yeah thank you and to add to to the answer that that deborah has has given i think in the context of climate resilient uh development the the cross-sectoral collaboration in governance and between institutions is is an important um element that can enable a stronger action and and also can provide motivation to to take action being aware of problems in in other sectors where one's own sector can possibly contribute and we have developed a picture in this report how such integration and and cross-sector collaboration can can happen also the the view of the international not just of of the local and vulnerable elements in one's own society could could provide motivation but also looking at the international situation where we clearly lay out that multinational international collaboration is an essential element in in making a progress in in this climate arena this also concerns a global move to for example remove subsidies from from fossil fuels and the current crisis could actually lead and this is already entering the political discussion in my own country could actually lead to the avoidance of dependencies on the suppliers of fossil fuels in situations of political instability and and supporting the establishment of renewables in enhancing their fraction in in energy provision could increase the the independence in in that sense so there are motivations um that that come from from various sites but the most important pillar certainly is and has been the mobilization of the young generation that we have seen somewhat surprisingly but it was a very pleasant surprise after the release of the 1.5 report where the the taking up the crucial information on climate change and its future challenges by the young generation and their concern about the future is and has been a very strong level for political shifts that we have seen in some countries in including my own thank you thank you very much for that the next question is for the ipcc chair dr lee and dr portner the results of the working group 2 analysis are not so surprising since it is natural to believe that continued climate change brings more serious impacts on ecosystems and damages and losses so what is in your view the real scientific value of the report and its impact on policies dr lee thank you very much it's a very important questions and uh i believe the hans i will give a more detailed answer to this but uh overall does this study this assessment for the first time uh analyzes assesses in very detail the uh impact of a temporary uh overshoot and it the report clearly indicates that that there will be a some uh impacts that will be irreversible even if the temperature will return to 1.5 at the end of the century and uh that is one of the major major findings of this report as well as this report uh as already mentioned that identifies 127 key risks uh of key risks and then does shows how that how those key risks change along the temperature gradients uh changes and these are quite a new uh messages that this report can deliver compared to our last reports hans thank you very much and thanks a lot for this important question clearly um this report if you just see it as a linear extrapolation of the last report on impacts and risks the information may may not be so surprising although there certainly the scientific basis for extrapolating is is very solid and is um also very important in terms of it the possibilities and progress made in terms of attributing these impacts um for example due to extreme events to human activities i think there the working one report and the working two report come come together closely another advance that our report offers is really a systems understanding an integrative understanding how the different lines of evidence come together there was one figure in in that slide presentation which was in in rather straightforward ways uh laying bringing forward the interactions between the human systems the climate systems and biodiversity biodiversity providing ecosystem services and how human society currently is causing the imbalance by by causing climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and thereby the impact feedbacks uh on the natural and the human systems by shifting that balance in interactions and from a systems point of view this emergence as as an underpinning framework for uh the concept of climate resilient development which was already there yes during the fifth assessment report but what is uh much more comprehensively uh developed in in our our present report it talks about the resilience for ecosystems as well as the resilience for for human systems and it shows that um in that argumentation that going for a combination of human health ecosystem health and finally at the highest complexity level planetary health is actually giving us hope for the future and should provide a vision and an orientation for concerted actions across the globe thank you very much we will take a few just another two questions given the time the first one is from news first in sri lanka question is for dr roberts what are the ipcc's recommendations in terms of in in calculating the local i guess including the local and indigenous knowledge to find more effective solutions to tackle climate change thank you so much and that's such an important question because certainly one of the new elements of this particular assessment is a much stronger focus on indigenous communities local knowledge traditional knowledge as a way of understanding the world that we live in and so there's a very strong uh pointer to the fact that where we engage with indigenous communities and peoples where we consider local knowledge that really empowers us not only to frame the questions we're asking in a more relevant way but to develop answers that are more comprehensive that are more inclusive and allows us to better understand the kind of response options we have available to us so this i think is an exciting move for the scientific community acknowledging that there are many forms of and ways of knowing the world that there are many knowledges in the world and so we've tried very strongly to bring forward the perspectives of indigenous communities bring forward the input of local knowledge in informing the kind of solution options that are available but the bottom line there is no doubt that indigenous knowledge and local knowledge is critical to understanding the world critical to understanding the way we respond to the climate change challenge and critical to finding solutions and therefore these communities absolutely must be at the table when we're talking about the climate change response and they must be at the table when we're deciding what action we take thank you very much and the last question is from the financial times uh for both coaches so again i'll i'll be looking for short answers there we are already at 1 30. could you explain why the phrasing in the summary for policymakers is losses and damages rather than loss and damage which is used in the underlying literature and full report and if that is different to the language in the summary for policy makers why it is different dr portner and then dr roberts thanks thanks a lot for this important question certainly the content of our report and the summary for policy makers is is very close to political interest and to political uh debate and we build on the information in in the scientific literature without really crossing the line into the policy arena without really developing policy prescriptive language or wanting to get entangled in in political debates between the global north and and the global south or considering country interests that is why we are developing more policy neutral language and and using the important information on losses and damages as they result from impacts and and also from risk projections for for the future in in in a more policy uh neutral way um and and to make this clear we have used the wording that the reporters have rightly observed and it it helps us to to bring this into a more policy neutral but very policy relevant language that is my my take on this and about to end i think it's a very important term because it allows us to understand the full spectrum of the challenge that we face so we use the term losses and damages really to speak to adverse impacts both in the present but also potential future risks but it talks to a scenario where we can draw forward not only economic impacts but non-economic uh impacts so losses and damages so it gives us a sense of is adaptation but there are potential scenarios as we've indicated where we may have maladaptation where adaptation may not be effective it may not be fast enough or at scale and then we have to deal with the result of losses and damages but that phrasing as i say allows us not only to think about the loss of infrastructure the loss of people's lives but the non-economic losses that may come from loss of culture loss of language loss of livelihoods lots of places where people live so it allows us to adopt a more comprehensive view of the challenges that we have to face as society thank you very much this brings us to the end of today's press conference let me just say thank you to all of the representatives of the media who have been with us today we have answered as many questions as possible there are many many more questions and we will be answering them in the hours days and weeks to come i would like to also thank all of the panelists at today's press conference and for their time and dedication and providing substantive answers to to to the questions that that were posed to them i would also like to stress to the representatives of the media that the working group 3 report which is looking into the mitigation of the climate change is scheduled to be released in early april we will be communicating with you

Channel: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

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Length: 95min 35sec (5735 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 03 2022