Brussels, 25/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - As the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC) started work in Yokohama, Japan, on Tuesday (the meeting will last from 25 to 29 March) to finalise the second part of their fifth assessment, calls for industralised countries to take urgent, large-scale action were mounting.
The development NGOs belonging to the network APRODEV (Association of World Council of Churches related Development Organisations in Europe) call on the EU to “hear the wake-up call” of the international community of scientific experts, and to take immediate action. “The draft report of the working group II on the impact of climate change, adaptation and vulnerability speaks a clear language: climate change has started to show its ugly face around the world. In many parts of the world, the poorest who are also the most vulnerable feel already the impact of a changing climate. Water and food stress have increased. Today it is the most vulnerable who face the impact, but in a future 4-6 degrees warmer world, 90% of the world population would be affected according to the draft report”, stresses APRODEV. Mithika Mwenda, one of the founders of the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance, stresses: “You no longer need to be a scientist to prove that climate change is real. I see it every day on the form of floods, droughts and erratic weather”.
A climate crisis to threaten peace and security can still be avoided if the green energy revolution is speeded up, says Greenpeace, which is launching a climate SOS. The NGO tells Japan, which has scaled down its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that “the choice between nuclear and coal is a false dichotomy. Japan could completely phase out nuclear and achieve its old objective of cutting its emissions by 25% by 2020 by focusing on energy savings and green energy”.
This report, which marks the culmination of the work of the working group II, focuses on the impacts of climate change on people and natural systems, adaptation options and interactions between climate change, pressure on companies and opportunities for the future. “It assesses the consequences of climate change which are already taking place and the risks in a broad range of possible future scenarios. It focuses on each region and many sectors, oceans through to human security. It lays emphasis both on identifying effective responses and understanding the challenges”, says Chris Field, one of the co-chairs of group II. (AN)