The Synthesis Report of the Sixth Assessment Cycle (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was adopted by all member countries on 19th March 2023 at the 58th Session of the IPCC at Interlaken, Switzerland.
Key Points
- It integrates the main findings of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) based on contributions from the three Working Groups, and the three Special Reports.
- The report recognizes the interdependence of climate, ecosystems and biodiversity, and human societies; the value of diverse forms of knowledge; and the close linkages between climate change adaptation, mitigation, ecosystem health, human well-being and sustainable development, and reflects the increasing diversity of actors involved in climate action.
- The report reinforces the scientific view that CO2 is the primary GHG and needs to be drastically reduced.
- The report mentions that for every 1000 GtCO2 emitted by human activity, global surface temperature rises by 0.45°C (best estimate, with a likely range from 0.27 to 0.63°C). The remaining carbon budgets from the beginning of 2020 are 500 GtCO2 for a 50% likelihood of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and 1150 GtCO2 for a 67% likelihood of limiting warming to below 2°C. Reaching net zero CO2 or GHG emissions primarily requires deep and rapid reductions in gross emissions of CO2, as well as substantial reductions of non-CO2 GHG emissions.
- Climate justice and equity are important enablers for ensuring climate action and growth and development for developing countries. The Report notes that modelled scenarios explore only a limited number of solutions, and warns against mistaking them for predictions or forecasts. The scientists also confirm that models do not explicitly account for equity, environmental justice, and income distribution – all crucial factors in climate policy decision.
- The Synthesis Report draws attention to the fact that the largest climate finance gaps are in developing countries and that accelerated financial support for developing countries from developed countries and other sources is a critical enabler to enhance mitigation actions and address inequities in finance, including its costs, terms and conditions and economic vulnerability to climate change for developing countries.
- The Report notes that finance flows from developed to developing countries fall short of the levels needed to meet climate goals across all sectors and regions. It also acknowledges that in 2018, public and publicly mobilized private climate finance flows from developed to developing countries were below the collective goal under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to mobilize USD100 billion per year by 2020.
- Adverse impacts from human-induced climate change will continue to intensify. Vulnerability to impacts of climate change in the near term are strongly dependent on levels of development, and exposure to extreme weather and climate events which will increase at higher warming levels.
- The Report also notes that without urgent, effective, and equitable mitigation and adaptation actions, climate change increasingly threatens ecosystems, biodiversity, and the health and wellbeing of current and future generations.
- The Synthesis Report echoes Prime Minister’s vision for “LiFE”, or Lifestyle for Environment, which is a global mass movement for promoting environmental friendly lifestyle to protect and preserve the environment.
6 Key Messages From IPCC Synthesis Report
- Excess emissions from human activities have raised global temperature by 1.1°C above 1850-1900
- Current policy action will lead to further temperature rise, and the impacts on human and other forms of life will become more severe
- At current emissions levels, we will deplete the remaining carbon budget
- We need to cut GHG emissions across all sectors urgently, within this decade and no later
- We have all the solutions we need to shift to low-carbon economic systems
- Political commitment and equity are key to enabling this shift – there is enough finance, it needs to be directed to climate action.
Source: Down To Earth
Adaptation
- IPCC AR 6 Synthesis Report has warned that some parts of the world have already reached their adaptation limits.
- The report listed six barriers to adaptation: A lack of engagement from the private sector and citizens, insufficient mobilisation of finance, low climate literacy, lack of political commitment, limited research and slow and low uptake of adaptation science as well as low sense of urgency.
- Developed countries committed to jointly mobilise $100 billion in climate finance annually to aid climate action in the developing world.
- A lion’s share of climate funds flows into mitigation projects such as renewable energy and energy efficiency, while adaptation is sidelined.
- Most of the adaptation finance comes from public sources, while contributions from private sector are minuscule.
- Fossil fuels continue to attract more public and private finance than adaptation and mitigation, the report highlighted.
Carbon Capture
- IPCC’s Synthesis Report under the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) highlighted some of the important barriers to implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS).
- CCS) is a technology tool that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- The technology involves capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and other emission sources, transporting it and storing or burying it in a suitable deep, underground location.
- When CO2 is captured directly from the atmosphere (DACCS), or biomass (BECCS), CCS provides the storage component of carbon dioxide removal methods.
- CCS prevents a fraction of emissions from an emitting source, such as a cement plant, from entering the atmosphere.
- At the same time, carbon dioxide removal techniques transfer carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere to some form of storage.
Maladaptation
- There is increased evidence of maladaptation in various sectors and regions, highlighted the Synthesis Report.
- Maladaptation is defined by the IPCC as the “changes in natural or human systems that inadvertently increase vulnerability to climate stimuli”.
- Instead of reducing vulnerability, maladaptation ends of increasing vulnerability to climate change.
- Maladaptation affects marginalised and vulnerable groups adversely.
- India has many such examples of maladaptation.