New IPCC report 2022

On February 28, 2022, the IPCC published its new report. The message: we are running out of time. Here we have summarized the contents and collected initial reactions.

On February 28, 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its new report entitled “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability“. The report details how human-induced climate change “is causing dangerous and widespread disruptions in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks”. The scientists also emphasize that the people and ecosystems least able to cope with the effects of climate change are the most affected.

Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, said: “This report is a stark warning of the consequences of inaction. It shows that climate change poses a serious and growing threat to our well-being and a healthy planet. Our actions today will determine how people adapt and how nature responds to increasing climate risks.”

Even if global warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the next two decades and beyond will see multiple threats around the world. If this temperature limit is exceeded, there will be serious and in many cases irreversible effects.

195 member governments of the IPCC approved the IPCC 2022 report during a virtual meeting that took place from February 14 to 28, 2022.

Disasters such as heatwaves, droughts, floods and torrential rainfall are already placing an enormous strain on plants, animals and humans. Many of these weather extremes occur simultaneously and lead to cascading effects such as food and water insecurity, loss of life, biodiversity and infrastructure.

These are the main messages of the IPCC Climate Report 2022:

The IPCC Report 2022 contains a detailed assessment of the impacts, risks and adaptation strategies in cities. More than half of the world’s population already lives in urban centers. Their livelihoods and critical infrastructure are located in cities, many of which are suffering from the negative effects of climate change.

The combination of increasing urbanization, especially in countries that are more vulnerable to climate change, and climate change leads to complex risks. This is particularly true for cities experiencing poorly planned urban growth, high levels of poverty and a lack of basic services.

At the same time, the IPCC Climate Report 2022 points out that cities offer many opportunities for climate action, as described in Sustainable Development Goal 13. Renewable energy, green buildings and sustainable transportation systems are key elements on the way to a greener future. By involving all people in planning and paying particular attention to equity and justice, as well as drawing on local knowledge, it is possible to develop adaptation strategies in cities that avoid unintended consequences such as the destruction of nature through increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

The IPCC Climate Report 2022 emphasizes that the window of opportunity for taking action to mitigate climate change is getting smaller and smaller. The next few years are a narrow window of opportunity to change course. This requires immediate, ambitious and concerted efforts to drastically reduce emissions. To build resilience, preserve ecosystems and increase funding for adaptation and mitigation measures.

Here, the COP27 conference in Egypt at the end of 2022 will provide a crucial opportunity for governments to make progress. The countries of the Global North and those less affected by climate change will be called upon to show their solidarity with the more vulnerable nations.

Effective action requires governments, civil society and the private sector to take action every day. While COP27 is an important event, there is no option but to use the current confinement to take action when and where possible. The IPCC 2022 report provides ample evidence and many examples of local action to inspire change.

The IPCC normally publishes a comprehensive scientific assessment report every six to seven years. The IPCC Climate Report 2022 is the second part of the Sixth Assessment Report. The IPCC published the first part in August 2021. Working Group II drew on 34,000 studies involving 270 authors from 67 countries to produce a comprehensive assessment of the worsening impacts of climate change and the associated risks.

Reactions to the IPCC Report 2022, published just days after the devastating floods in Australia and news of the outbreak of armed conflict in Ukraine, have been difficult. The Guardian speaks of gloomy, sober and brutal results. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “I have seen many scientific reports in my time, but none like this one. Today’s IPCC report is an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate policies.”

Two more IPCC climate reports are expected to make up the four-part Sixth Assessment Report. Even if the war in Ukraine is currently overshadowing all other news, the world must take action.

Also dramatic and highly topical: the European architecture scene is publicly opposing the Russian war of aggression in a very short space of time. G+L also stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and government.