Sunday, October 14, 2018

International Panel for Climate Change Report 2018

I read this report with much trepidation , but as I am too old and childless I stopped my stress about it. Here is some of the summery the report mentioned:

FAQ1.1:Why are we talking about 1.5°C?
Summary: Climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet.In recognition of this, the  overwhelming majority of countries around the world adopted the Paris Agreement in December 2015,the central  aim of which includes pursuing efforts to  limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
In doing so, these countries, through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) also invited the IPCC to provide a Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emissions pathways
FAQ 1.2: How close are we to 1.5°C?
Summary:
Human–induced warming has already reached about 1°C above pre-industrial levels at the time of writing of this Special Report. By the decade 2006–2015, human activity had warmed the world by 0.87°C (±0.12°C) compared to        pre-industrial times (1850–1900). If the current warming ratecontinues, the world would   reach human–induced global warming of 1.5°C around 2040.

FAQ 2.1:What kind of pathways limit warming to 1.5°C and are we on track?
Summary: There is no definitive way to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above   pre-industriallevels. This Special Report identifies two main conceptual pathways to illustrate different interpretations. One stabilises global temperature at, or just below, 1.5°C. Another sees global temperature temporarily exceed 1.5°C before coming back down. Countries’ pledges to reduce their emissions are currently not in line with limiting global warming to 1.5°C

FAQ 2.2:What do energy supply and demand have to do with limiting warming to 1.5°C?
Summary: Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels would   require major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. But different sectors are not independent of each other and making changes in one can have implications for another. For example, if we as a society use a lot of energy, then this could mean we have less flexibility in the choice of mitigationoptions available to limit warming to 1.5°C. If we use less energy, the choice of possible actions is greater. For example we could be less reliant on technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
FAQ3.1: What are the impacts of 1.5°C and 2°C of warming?
   Summary The impacts of climate change are being felt in every inhabited   continent and in the oceans. But they are not spread uniformly across the globe, and different parts of the world experience impacts differently. An average warming of 1.5°C across the whole globe raises the risk of
heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, amongst many other potential impacts. Limiting warming to1.5°C rather than 2°C can help reduce these risks. But the impacts the world experiences will depend on the specific greenhouse gas emission ‘pathway’ taken. The consequences of temporarily overshooting
1.5°C and returning later in the century, for example, could be larger than if
temperature stabilizes below 1.5°C. The size and duration of an overshoot will also affect future impacts.

FAQ 4.1:What Transitions Could  Enable Limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C?
Summary: In order to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the world would need to transform in a number of complex and connected ways. While transitions towards lower greenhouse gas emissions are underway in some cities, regions, countries, businesses and communities, there are few that are currently consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C. Meeting this challenge would require a rapid escalation in the current scale and pace of change, particularly in the coming decades. There are many factors that affect the feasibility of different adaptation and mitigation options that could help limit warming to 1.5°C and withadapting to the consequences.

FAQ 4.2:What are Carbon Dioxide Removal and Negative Emissions?
Summary: Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) refers to the process of removing 
CO2 from the atmosphere. Since this is the opposite of emissions, practices or technologies that remove CO2 are often described as achieving ‘negative emissions’. The process is sometimes referred to more broadly as greenhouse gas removal if it involves removing gases other than CO2. There are two main types ofC DR: either enhancing existing natural processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere (e.g., byincreasing its uptake by trees, soil, or other ‘carbon sinks’) or using chemical processes to, for example, capture CO2 directly from the ambient air and store it elsewhere (e.g., underground). All CDR methods are at different stages of development and some are more conceptual than others, as they have not been tested at scale
FAQ 4.3:Why is Adaptation Important in a 1.5°C-Warmer World?
Summary: Adaptation is the process of adjusting to current or expected changes in climate and its effects. Even though climate change is a global problem, its impacts are experienced differently across the world. This means that responses are often specific to the local context, and so people in different regions are adapting in different ways. A rise in global temperature from the current 1°C above pre-industrial levels to 1.5°C, and beyond, increases the need for adaptation. Therefore, stabilizing global temperatures at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels would require a smaller adaptation effort than at 2°C. Despite many successful examples around the world, progress in adaptation is, in many regions,in its infancy and unevenly distributed globally.



FAQ5.1: What Are the Connections between Sustainable Development and Limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C above Pre-Industrial Levels
 Summary:Sustainable development seeks to meet the needs of people living today without compromising the needs of future generations, while balancing social, economic and environmental considerations. The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include targets for eradicating poverty; ensuring health, energy and food security; reducing inequality; protecting ecosystems; pursuing sustainable cities and economies; and a goal for climate action (SDG13). Climate change affects the ability to achieve sustainable development goals, and limiting warming to 1.5°C will help meet some sustainable development targets. Pursuing sustainable development will influence
emissions, impacts and vulnerabilities. Responses to climate change in the form of adaptation and mitigation will also interact with sustainable development with npositive effects, known as synergies, or negative effects, known as trade-offs. Responses to climate change can be planned to maximize synergies and limit trade-offs with sustainable development.

FAQ 5.2:What are the Pathways to Achieving Poverty Reduction and Reducing
    Inequalities While Reaching the 1.5°C World?
  Summary:There are ways to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre
-industrial levels. Of the pathways that exist, some simultaneously achieve sustainable development. They entail a mix of measures that lower emissions and reduce the impacts of climate change, while contributing to poverty eradication and reducing inequalities. Which pathways are possible and desirable will differ between and within regions and nations. This is due to the fact that development progress to date has been uneven and climate
-related risks are unevenly distributed. Flexible governance would be needed
to ensure that such pathways are inclusive, fair and equitable to avoid poor and disadvantaged populations becoming worse off. Climate-resilient development pathways (CRDPs) offer possibilities to achieve both equitable and low-carbon futures


Copyright thanks to: http://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_faq.pdf 

I have neglected my blog due to my disability and illness. apologies in order