IPCC: climate change is irreversible, human factor unequivocal
Geneva, Aug 9 (EFE).- Humans have “unequivocally” contributed a great amount to global warming, the consequences of which are now “irreversible,” according to a report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The IPCC warned of a temperature increase unmatched in the past two millennia and reported a rise of 1.10 degrees Clesius compared to the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), of which some 1.07 degrees are attributed to the “human factor.”
Human activity has contributed to changes in precipitations, sea water salinity and mass loss of glaciers unprecedented in the past millennia.
Many of the consequences of the mostly man-made global warming, the experts panel warned, will be “irreversible for the coming centuries to millennia,” especially in oceans and polar regions.
Sea levels have risen by 20 centimeters on average between 1901 and 2018, while the scale of annual elevation has soared from 1.3 millimeters yearly during the first 70 years of the 1900s to a whopping 3.7 millimeters per year currently.
Sea levels will continue to rise, by an estimated 28-55 centimeters by the end of the century, even if countries manage to reduce net carbon emissions to zero.
If carbon emissions increase to double the current amount, the elevation of sea levels could be as high as 1.8 meters by the end of the century.
The IPCC report states that mountain and polar glaciers will continue to melt in the coming decades and even centuries, which will be more pronounced in the northern hemisphere.
Urban areas intensify global warming at a local level, while increasing urbanization and higher frequency of extreme temperatures will aggravate the impact of heat waves.
The report, focused on making a scientific assessment of climate change, will be complemented in 2022 with two more documents by different IPCC workgroups, one over society adaptation and the other on mitigation measures. EFE
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