EAERE representatives in the approval of the IPCC’s WG1 Summary for Policymakers
Two members of the Policy Outreach Committee, Xavier Labandeira and Aldo Ravazzi, participated as EAERE observers in the approval process of the Summary for Policy Makers (SPM) of the IPCC’s Working Group on the physical science basis of climate Change (WG1) that took place between 28 July and 8 August 2021. This SPM is a non-technical synopsis that condenses into about 40 pages the contribution of WG1 to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC, a document of about 3000 pages in which some 200 authors from all over the world have participated during the last three years. The approval of SPMs is carried out line by line by delegates from the approximately 200 governments that are part of the IPCC, with the presence of the report’s co-chairs of the working group and author representatives from all its chapters.
The WG1 SPM, presented in public on 11 August, points out that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, the ocean and the land, causing changes in the climate system that are unprecedented in many centuries. The document indicates that global surface temperature will continue to rise until at least mid-century under all the considered emission scenarios, such that during the 21st century global warming of 1.5-2ºC will be exceeded unless there are deep reductions in GHG emissions in the coming decades.
The gloomy conclusions of the WG1 SPM were widely echoed by the media, which highlighted the inevitability of the devastating impacts of global warming, although noting that there is still a small window to prevent the worse outcomes. Environmental organizations, also present as observers in the SPM approval process, claimed that while this is not the first generation of world leaders to be warned by scientists of the severity of the climate crisis, they are the last who can afford to ignore it.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, indicated that the report is a red code for humanity and assured that the viability of our societies depends on the actions of governments, companies and citizens to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5ºC. Alok Sharma, president of COP 26, underlined that the impacts of the climate crisis can be seen throughout the world and that, unless immediate action is taken, we will see how the worst effects impact lives, livelihoods and natural habitats.
WG2 (Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change) and WG3 (Mitigation of climate change) of the IPCC are in the process of completing their reports and will present their SPMs within the next few months.
