Prelims: Environment – reports and agencies, IPCC, global stocktake, Paris Agreement
Mains: General studies III– Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why in the News ?
Three reports from the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle (AR6) were published in 2021-2022. These documents examine the consequences, adaptation, and vulnerability as well as the mitigation aspects of climate change.
Source: TH
📌 FYI on Prelims:
- Till now IPCC has released 6 assessment reports.
- The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) warned that the time to limit the rise of the world’s average surface temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial era — as agreed in the Paris Agreement.
- To assess the world’s progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, UNFCCC countries conduct a ‘global stocktake’ (GST) every five years.
About:
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) :
- IPCC Change is a United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
- It was created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Objective: To provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
- Research: The IPCC does not conduct its own research. Thousands of people from all over the world voluntarily contribute to the work of the IPCC.
Reports:
- The IPCC prepares comprehensive Assessment Reports about knowledge on climate change, its causes, potential impacts and response options.
- Since its inception in 1988, the IPCC has had six assessment cycles and delivered six Assessment Reports, the most comprehensive scientific reports about climate change produced worldwide.
- The current report, 6th Assessment Report, is divided into three segments i.e. its three Working Groups and a Synthesis Report.
- The three working group reports have already been published.
Assessment report (AR) :
- It integrates the main findings of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) based on contributions from the three Working Groups, and the three Special Reports.
- Current Status of Climate Change –
- Global surface temperature was 1.09°C higher in 2011–2020 than 1850–1900.
- There is a larger increase over land (1.59°C) than over the ocean (0.88°C).
- In 2019, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than at any time in at least 2 million years.
- Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide were higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years.
- Global mean sea level increased by 0.20 m between 1901 and 2018.
- Although overall agricultural productivity has increased, climate change has slowed this growth over the past 50 years globally.
- Future Climate Change –
- In the near term (2021-2040), global warming is more likely than not to reach 1.5°C even under the very low GHG emission scenario.
- Compound heatwaves and droughts are projected to become more frequent, including concurrent events across multiple locations.
- Due to relative sea level rise, current 1-in-100 year extreme sea level events are projected to occur at least annually in more than half of all tide gauge locations by 2100 under all considered scenarios.
- Assessment Report 7: In Turkey, the Bureau agreed to produce the full assessment and synthesis reports, the methodology reports, and a special report.
- Global Stocktake:
- To assess the world’s progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, UNFCCC countries conduct a ‘global stocktake’ (GST) every five years.
- The GST is a mechanism to measure collective progress, identify gaps, and chart a better course of climate action.
About Paris Agreement
- It replaced the Kyoto Protocol, an earlier agreement to deal with climate change.
- It is a landmark agreement as it brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, for the first time.
- It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, in December 2015 and entered into force in November 2016.
- Aim:The agreement seeks to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industry levels.
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
- To achieve the targets under the agreement, the member countries have to submit the targets themselves, which they believe would lead to substantial progress towards reaching the Paris temperature goal.
- Initially, these targets are called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
- They are converted to NDCs when the country ratifies the agreement.
- To achieve the targets under the agreement, the member countries have to submit the targets themselves, which they believe would lead to substantial progress towards reaching the Paris temperature goal.
