As Dubai prepares to host significant UN negotiations from November 30, focusing on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate impacts in the developing world, a new yearly report series is emerging to plug knowledge gaps and draw global attention to the urgency of climate change.
Historical Perspective on Climate Reports:
Since 1988, the UN’s scientific advisory panel has produced comprehensive climate assessment reports every five to seven years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has consistently warned that the world is on track to surpass the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold.
One of the significant challenges in addressing climate change is the lengthy time intervals between IPCC reports. These gaps can lead to outdated information, making it difficult for policymakers to respond effectively to a rapidly evolving climate crisis.
Efforts to Address the Climate Urgency:
In response to this challenge, a team of 50 scientists and many prominent IPCC contributors collaborated to produce an updated climate report in 2022. The goal is to provide timely information and fill the knowledge gaps within the “decade of action.”
The First Report’s Findings:
The inaugural report, published in June, highlighted that human-induced warming reached 1.26 degrees Celsius in 2022 and is increasing at an unprecedented rate. These findings offer critical updates compared to the previous IPCC report.
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This new series distinguishes itself from the IPCC by focusing on policy and immediate relevance. The project consistently monitors key climate metrics and ensures that policy decisions and negotiations happen with current and meaningful data.
An interactive online dashboard has been developed to make this information more accessible to the public. This tool presents critical findings user-friendly, allowing a broader audience to engage with the data.
The launch of this yearly report series serves as a response to the knowledge gaps in climate science and emphasizes the importance of acting swiftly to address climate change globally.
