Comment on IPCC climate change report

Dr Emily Shuckburgh, Head of Open Oceans at the British Antarctic Survey, said: "The IPCC's synthesis report unambiguously states that human influence on the climate is clear and that the consequences of climate changes that have already occurred are profound.

“It emphasises that continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further, long-lasting changes to our climate system, increasing the risks for people and ecosystems.

“However, the extent of those risk could be limited by a combination of adaptation and substantial, sustained reductions in greenhouse gases. The gauntlet has been thrown down to policymakers, businesses and society more broadly to respond to."

Dr Camilla Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), highlighted the importance of the recently agreed European Union climate and energy package and the importance of the bloc’s leadership in the UN climate process. The UNFCCC meeting in Lima in December will be an important staging post ahead of talks in Paris next year, where UN member states have committed to reach a new global agreement on climate change.

Dr Toulmin said: “The IPCC report presents the clearest picture yet of the risks posed by uncontrolled climate change.

“It concludes that no parts of the world are free from the risks of ‘severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts’. The poorest countries, where many people already struggle to make a living, will be affected first. In this context, the EU 2030 climate agreement is ever more important in terms of setting the agenda for ambitious and rapid response to global warming caused by carbon emissions.

“While Europe has made a strong start with its commitment to reducing emissions by at least 40 per cent, IIED urges the EU to build on its historic climate leadership next month in Lima, calling on other big players to take clear and decisive action to limit the steeply sharpening global inequality.”

Richard Black, Director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said: “"The IPCC pulls few punches in laying out what we can expect from unconstrained climate change, and it’s not a pretty picture.

"But it also shows how climate risks can be constrained and societies made more secure, through an integrated combination of measures to prepare for those climate impacts that are now inevitable, and rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to prevent potentially irreversible impacts in the future.

“In a nutshell, it indicates that our generation doesn’t have to bequeath major risks to future generations; those risks are avoidable, with costs entirely manageable if governments choose to act in concert."

Dr Camilla Toulmin and Dr Emily Shuckburgh are members of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) Advisory Board. An ECIU briefing on the IPCC is available here.