To keep a good chance of staying below 2 oC, emission should drop by 40 to 70 percent globally between 2010 and 2050, falling to zero or below by 2100, said Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair R K Pachauri yesterday at Copenhagen.
Pachauri was speaking after releasing the Fifth Synthesis Report, which is cited as the most comprehensive assessment of climate change ever undertaken.
The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report produced by over 800 scientists and released over the past 13 months – the most comprehensive assessment of climate change ever undertaken.
Human influence on the climate system is clear and growing, with impacts observed on all continents. If left unchecked, climate change will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems, the report said.
However, implementing stringent mitigation activities can ensure that the impacts of climate change remain within a manageable range, creating a brighter and more sustainable future.
The report confirms that climate change is being registered around the world and warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
“Our assessment finds that the atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, sea level has risen and the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased to a level unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years,” said Thomas Stocker, co-chair of IPCC Working Group I.
The Synthesis Report identifies that the climate change is likely to affect least developed countries and vulnerable communities the worst, given their limited ability to cope. People who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalized are especially vulnerable to climate change, the report said.
Rajani Baburajan