The summary report from the IPCC provides a comprehensive picture of the impact human activity is having on the climate, bringing together climate data and physical sciences expertise from around the world, including drawing on the findings of more than 14,000 technical papers.
The 4,000-page report – the first instalment of the IPCC’s sixth assessment since the 1980s and the first since 2013 – has been approved by representatives of 195 governments prior to its publication.
At the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November this year, governments will present their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions aligned with the Paris Agreement target of keeping temperature rises within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Remaining within this target temperature rise could help avoid the most devastating consequences of climate change.
Summarising the most serious conclusion of the report, lead author Dr Tamsin Edwards of King’s College London said: “Unless...