The members of IPCC had been meeting since February 14 by teleconference behind closed doors to negotiate line by line, word by word, the summary for decision makers
, a sort of condensed version of the report drawn up by 270 scientists from 67 countries. But that meeting was overshadowed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Its findings will be of critical importance to policy makers around the world.
said the president of the IPCCHoesung Lee, during a brief public session for the launch of the session in mid-February.
While the planet has warmed around 1.1°C on average since the pre-industrial era, the world is already seeing natural disasters at work with their own eyes. Like last year with the flames ravaging the American West, Greece or Turkey, waves submerging regions of Germany or China or the thermometer approaching 50 ° C in Canada.
And these extreme weather events will become even more frequent as global warming continues.
In the first part of their report published last August, the experts of the IPCC estimated that the mercury would reach around 2030 – 10 years earlier than expected – the threshold of +1.5°C.
Before a third opus in April on solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the second published on Monday looks at the impacts of global warming and how to prepare to limit the risks (adaptation
).
It must describe the present and future consequences on all continents and in all their aspects: health, food security, water shortage, displacement of populations, destruction of ecosystems, etc.
But it must also assess the state of our preparedness for these devastating impacts, by reviewing adaptation measures, early warning systems, and also the restoration of ecosystems.
He must also warn against the maladaptation
i.e. measures that would have counterproductive effects.
