Tag: global warming

The Role of IPCC in Building a Sustainable World

Daily writing prompt
What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?
View all responses

By Shashikant Nishant Sharma

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a cornerstone of global efforts to understand, mitigate, and adapt to climate change. Established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the IPCC provides scientific assessments that inform international policy and action to address the climate crisis. This article delves into the IPCC’s structure, functions, contributions, and its pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future.

Understanding the IPCC

The IPCC is not a research body. Instead, it synthesizes and evaluates existing research on climate change to provide comprehensive assessments. Its mission is to:

  • Provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its impacts, and potential future risks.
  • Offer mitigation and adaptation strategies to manage these risks effectively.

Structure of the IPCC

The IPCC comprises three working groups and a task force:

  1. Working Group I: Focuses on the physical science basis of climate change.
  2. Working Group II: Examines climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation measures.
  3. Working Group III: Explores options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.
  4. Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI): Assists nations in calculating and reporting emissions and removals.

IPCC Assessment Reports

The IPCC publishes comprehensive Assessment Reports (ARs) every 5–7 years. These reports synthesize the latest scientific knowledge to guide global climate policy. Key milestones include:

1. First Assessment Report (1990):

  • Established the foundation for international climate negotiations.
  • Highlighted the role of human activities in driving climate change.

2. Fourth Assessment Report (2007):

  • Strengthened evidence for anthropogenic global warming.
  • Informed the 2009 Copenhagen Accord.

3. Sixth Assessment Report (AR6, 2021-2022):

  • Presented the most up-to-date understanding of climate science.
  • Highlighted the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5°C to avoid catastrophic impacts.

Special Reports

In addition to ARs, the IPCC publishes special reports on critical topics, such as:

  • Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018): Explored pathways to limit warming and emphasized the need for urgent action.
  • Climate Change and Land (2019): Examined the interactions between climate change, land use, and sustainable land management.

The IPCC’s Contributions to a Sustainable World

1. Raising Awareness

The IPCC has been instrumental in raising global awareness of climate change by:

  • Establishing consensus on the scientific evidence for climate change.
  • Highlighting the links between human activities, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming.

2. Informing Policy Frameworks

IPCC assessments have shaped major international agreements, including:

  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Established the global platform for climate negotiations.
  • Kyoto Protocol: Set binding emission reduction targets for developed countries.
  • Paris Agreement: A landmark accord to limit global warming to well below 2°C, with efforts to cap it at 1.5°C.

3. Guiding Adaptation and Mitigation Efforts

The IPCC provides evidence-based strategies for:

  • Mitigation: Reducing emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and forest conservation.
  • Adaptation: Enhancing resilience through infrastructure planning, water resource management, and disaster risk reduction.

4. Promoting Equity

The IPCC emphasizes the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations. It advocates for equitable solutions that address:

  • Climate justice: Ensuring that those least responsible for climate change are not unduly burdened.
  • Capacity building: Supporting developing nations in implementing climate solutions.

Challenges Faced by the IPCC

Despite its achievements, the IPCC faces several challenges:

  • Complexity of Climate Science: Synthesizing vast and diverse research is time-consuming and requires global collaboration.
  • Political Sensitivities: Balancing scientific objectivity with the political realities of international negotiations.
  • Communication Barriers: Simplifying scientific findings for policymakers and the public without losing nuance.

The IPCC and the Path Forward

To build a sustainable world, the IPCC advocates for urgent and transformative action across all sectors. Key recommendations include:

  • Decarbonizing economies: Phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy sources.
  • Nature-based solutions: Restoring ecosystems to sequester carbon and enhance resilience.
  • Technological innovation: Developing and deploying clean technologies.
  • Global cooperation: Strengthening international partnerships to achieve climate goals.

Conclusion

The IPCC is at the forefront of the global fight against climate change, providing a scientific foundation for action and advocating for sustainable development. Its work underscores the interconnectedness of climate science, policy, and societal transformation. By heeding the IPCC’s findings and implementing its recommendations, humanity can build a sustainable world that ensures prosperity and equity for future generations.

The IPCC’s message is clear: the time for action is now.

References

Berg, M., & Lidskog, R. (2018). Pathways to deliberative capacity: the role of the IPCC. Climatic Change, 148(1), 11-24.

Levermore, G. J. (2008). A review of the IPCC assessment report four, part 1: the IPCC process and greenhouse gas emission trends from buildings worldwide. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 29(4), 349-361.

Keller, S. (2010). Scientization: putting global climate change on the scientific agenda and the role of the IPCC. Poiesis & Praxis, 7(3), 197-209.

Sanwal, M., Wang, C., Wang, B., & Yang, Y. (2017). A new role for IPCC: balancing science and society. Global Policy, 8(4), 569-573.

Plastic: Another reason for the slow death of plants

If you ever feel lonely, there is always someone to share your stories. Sit near a plant or a tree and talk to it, and you will feel better. Now, the plants want to tell you a story to you. Let’s start from its origin. A plant may grow on its own from the seeds which fly or get carried by the insects. There can be a possibility that you might plant a sapling on your birthday. It’s a widespread practice, and it’s done even on some occasions like Environment Day or as a part to save nature. But it may not last forever, it’ll leave you one day, you may not feel this, but some people are very much attached to nature.

A woman meditating under the shade of a tree.

They grow up with the plants, use their products, and build homes using bamboos, now and even it was a practice in the past. Plants have no opportunity left where they can’t help us. Right from feeding us, fulfilling our daily requirements for essential nutrients, and provide shade during sunny days, it has a long journey to convey to us. But the most severe issue is that due to our activities, the plants are indirectly getting harmed and pushing them slowly to death. Yes, the plants unknowingly accept the plastic we humans created, and we litter it without being concerned about the future. Such minor activities summing leads to global warming when plastics are burnt openly in air and damaging the ozone layer.

The beautiful scenery of trees along the road.

Thale cress, scientifically called as Arabidopsis thaliana, a weed that mostly grows on the edges of roads, was a part of a test where the plastic material is mixed in the soil. The results were devastating. The plastic molecules were less than 100 nanometers made its way in the plant, tested with another batch with clean soil. They were left to grow for ten days. It reduced the biomass of the growing plant, with shorter roots and lack of nutrients due to the ground’s impurities. This research took up at Shandong University, China. They also mentioned that new seedlings grew slower in contaminated soil.

This research can be such a critical issue; unknowingly, we consume plastic, it is even present in table salt, bottled water, and now through plants for a very long time. According to an estimate, 52 thousand tiny plastic molecules go into the body every year. It’s similar to consuming a credit card every week, not the money, but equivalent plastic weight.

You can save the planet with a smile, not by littering plastics shamefully.

There are already more than five trillion bits of plastic on the ocean surface. Initially, the production of plastic was slow from 2.1 million tonnes back in 1950. In 2015, this reached up to more than 406 million, out of which exponentially 6.3 billion tonnes of waste got generated. A mere 9 percent of waste was recycled, it can make situations where every seabird species will be consuming plastic instead of actual food. The dominant firms are on the way to find alternatives to reduce waste, and we can be a part of it, say no to plastic, and be a hero to save the planet Earth.