IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
- August 9, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
Subject: Environment
In news: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report will be the first of four reports released under the IPCC’s latest assessment cycle, with subsequent reports coming in 2022.
More about the report:
- The report will provide policy-makers with the best possible information regarding the physical science of climate change, which is essential for long-term planning in many sectors, from infrastructure to energy to social welfare.
- Atmospheric CO2: Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are higher now than they have been in 800,000 years, reaching 419 parts per million (ppm) in May 2021.
- Climate scientists use models to understand how much warming occurs when CO2 concentrations double from pre-industrial levels (from 260 ppm to 520 ppm), a concept called “climate sensitivity.” The more sensitive the climate, the faster greenhouse gas emissions must be curbed to stay below 2°C.
- Extreme Weather events: Global warming means stronger summer heat waves and more frequent tropical nights (temperatures above 20°C) are occurring in middle latitudes, like Canada and Europe.
- Warmer air can hold more water. This can cause more evaporation from land, and lead to drought and wildfires. In addition, an atmosphere with more water can produce more precipitation and flooding.
- Sea Level Rise: Global sea level is rising because water expands slightly when it warms up, and mountain glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet are melting and adding water to the ocean.
- But the largest potential source of sea-level rise over the next century is Antarctica. Ice sheet models show that melting of Antarctic ice sheets will add between 14 and 114 centimetres to sea-level rise by 2100.