A report that will provide the most up-to-date understanding and assessment of climate change, and its impact, has been approved by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The IPCC said that the report, the findings of which are due to be published on Monday, August 9, “will provide a clearer picture of future warming”.
The report will also provide an “understanding of human influence on the climate, including extreme events”.
It is expected that this ‘clearer picture’ of future warming will show that the Earth’s temperature is rising quicker than expected.
Under the international treaty known as the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in 2015 and came into force in 2016, a goal was set to limit global warming to well below 2oC – preferably 1.5oC – compared to pre-industrial levels.
However, this IPCC report is expected to show that this 1.5oC goal will be reached in the mid 2030s and this will have significant consequences for the environment.
The IPCC comprises representatives from 195 countries.
This particular report is prepared by an IPCC working group to provide the most “up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change, bringing together the latest advances in climate science and multiple lines of evidence”.
Two further reports will be published, with the next (second) expected to be complete in February 2022.
The report is based primarily on already-published scientific research and comprises contributions from 234 authors.
The IPCC is one of the most respected and credible sources of climate science.