Clime change: Fresh UN report warns of grave danger
The world is ill-prepared for many of the risks posed by climate change, a fresh UN report on the impact of global warming released yesterday warned.
The report, described as one of the most ambitious scientific undertakings in human history noted that extreme weather patterns will complicate existing conflicts over resources such as water and energy, leading further to instability.
The report was produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group II, a panel of prize-winning scientists drawn from 70 countries.
Five Nigerians, Ibidun Adelekan, Emiloa Gbobaniyi, Chineke Theo Chidiezie, Okoro Ugochukwu and Dike Victor served as Contributing Authors for the report released in Yokohama, Japan.
The report finds that risk from a changing climate comes from vulnerability and exposure overlapping with hazards that trigger climate events.
“We live in an era of manmade climate change,” said Vicente Barros, Co-Chair of Working Group II of the IPCC.
According to the report; increasing magnitudes of warming increases the likelihood of severe and pervasive impacts that may be surprising or irreversible.
“With high levels of warming that result from continued growth in greenhouse gas emissions, risks will be challenging to manage, and even serious, sustained investments in adaptation will face limits,” said Chris Field, also Co-Chair of Working Group II of the IPCC.
Observed impacts of climate change have already affected agriculture, human health, and ecosystems on land and in the oceans, water supplies, and some people’s livelihoods, the report said.