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New IPCC report: We are not prepared for what is to come | Greenpeace int.

Geneva, Switzerland - In the most comprehensive assessment of climate impacts to date, the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II today presented the world's governments with its latest scientific assessment.

Focused on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, the report lays out in sobering detail just how severe the impacts of climate change already are, causing widespread loss and damage to people and ecosystems around the world and projected to escalate with any further warming.

Kaisa Kosonen, Senior Policy Advisor, Greenpeace Nordic said:
“The report is very painful to read. But only by facing these facts with brutal honesty can we find solutions commensurate with the scale of the interconnected challenges.

"Now all hands are on deck! We have to do everything faster and bolder at all levels and leave no one behind. The rights and needs of the most vulnerable people must be placed at the heart of climate action. This is the moment to stand up, think big and unite.”

Thandile Chinyavanhu, Climate and Energy Activist, Greenpeace Africa said:
“For many, the climate emergency is already a matter of life or death, with homes and futures at stake. This is the lived reality of the communities of Mdantsane who have lost loved ones and life possessions, and for the residents of Qwa qwa who are unable to access vital health services or schools due to the extreme weather. But we will fight this together. We will take to the streets, we will take to the courts, united for justice, and we will hold accountable those whose actions have caused disproportionate damage to our planet. They broke it, now they have to fix it.”

Louise Fournier, Legal Adviser - Climate Justice and Liability, Greenpeace International said:
“With this new IPCC report, governments and businesses have no choice but to act in accordance with science to meet their human rights obligations. If they don't, they will be taken to court. Communities vulnerable to climate change will continue to defend their human rights, demand justice and hold those responsible accountable. An unprecedented number of important decisions with far-reaching implications were passed in the past year. Just like the cascading impacts of climate, all of these climate cases are interconnected and reinforce a global standard that climate action is a human right.”

On board a scientific expedition to Antarctica, Laura Meller of Greenpeace's Protect The Oceans campaign said:
“One solution is right in front of us: healthy oceans are key to reducing the impact of climate change. We don't want any more words, we need action. Governments must agree on a strong global ocean treaty at the United Nations next month to enable at least 30% of the world's oceans to be protected by 2030. If we protect the oceans, they will protect us.”

Li Shuo, Global Policy Advisor, Greenpeace East Asia said:
“Our natural world is under threat like never before. This is not the future we deserve and governments need to take action on the latest science at this year's UN Biodiversity Summit by committing to protect at least 2030% of land and oceans by 30. "

Since the last assessment, climate risks are emerging faster and becoming more severe sooner. The IPCC notes that over the past decade, mortality from floods, droughts and storms was 15 times higher in high-risk regions than in very low-risk regions. The report also recognizes the critical importance of working together to address the interconnected climate and natural crises. Only by protecting and restoring ecosystems can we strengthen their resilience to warming and protect all their services on which human well-being depends.

The report will define climate policy whether leaders want it or not. Last year at the UN climate summit in Glasgow, governments admitted they were not doing nearly enough to meet the 1,5 degree warming limit of the Paris Climate Agreement and agreed to reconsider their national targets by the end of 2022. With the next climate summit, COP27, taking place later this year in Egypt, countries must also grapple with IPCC findings, updated today, on the growing adaptation gap, on losses and harms, and on deep inequities.

Working Group II's contribution to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report will be followed in April by Working Group III's contribution, which will assess ways to mitigate climate change. The full story of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report will then be summarized in the synthesis report in October.

View our independent briefing Key Findings from the IPCC WGII ​​Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (AR6 WG2).

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Photos: Greenpeace

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