UN climate change report warns of immediate threats

Climate change is likely to have "severe, pervasive and irreversible" impacts, according to a major new United Nations report.

Scientists and officials meeting in Japan say the document is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the impacts of climate change.

The report was agreed after almost a week of discussions in Yokohama, Japan and is the second of a series from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) due to be released this year that outlines the causes, effects and solutions to global warming.

The IPCC is the leading body for the assessment of climate change and was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide rigorous and balanced scientific information to decision makers.

The “Working Group 2, Fifth Assessment Report” covers the likely impacts of climate change and our capacity to adapt to future climate risks. From the last major review of almost six years ago, it provides a strengthened body of evidence on observed impacts and future risks of climate change.

The report is drawn from the work of over 310 scientific experts from universities and research institutes in 73 different countries around the world.

The report details significant short-term impacts on natural systems in the next 20 to 30 years. It details five reasons for concern that would likely increase as a result of the warming the world is already committed to.

These include threats to unique systems such as Arctic sea ice and coral reefs, where risks are said to increase to "very high" with a 2°C rise in temperatures.

For further information and analysis on the new report from leading NGO's and experts visit decentralisedenergy.co.uk/news/.

The summary document outlines impacts on the seas and on freshwater systems as well. The oceans will become more acidic, threatening coral and the many species that they harbour.

Food security is highlighted as an area of significant concern. Crop yields for maize, rice and wheat are all hit in the period up to 2050, with around a tenth of projections showing losses over 25 per cent.

After 2050, the risk of more severe yield impacts increases, as boom-and-bust cycles affect many regions. All the while, the demand for food from a population estimated to be around nine billion will rise.

Report co-author Maggie Opondo of the University of Nairobi said that in places such as Africa, climate change and extreme events mean "people are going to become more vulnerable to sinking deeper into poverty".

IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri (pictured above right) said: "Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change."