Page 12 - aruba-today-20220217

A12 science
Thursday 17 February 2022

U.N. to finalize science report on how

warming hits home hard

clare "code red, " outlined
the physical science of cli-
mate change while a third
report coming out in March
will be more about what
can be done to curb and
adapt to global warming.
Without getting into specif-
ics, report co-chair Hans-
Otto Poertner said the sci-
ence is clear that there are
limits — including tempera-
ture limits — to what key
ecosystems, species and
People visit a thermometer on July 11, 2021, in Death Valley Na- humans can withstand.
tional Park, Calif. And in some places, warm-
Associated Press ing is near those limits and
in a few cases, such as
By SETH BORENSTEIN and it mean for their lives, their much of the world's coral
FRANK JORDANS aspirations, their jobs, their reefs, have even passed
BERLIN (AP) — Scientists and families, the places where them.
governments met Monday they live." "We are losing living spac-
to finalize a major U.N. re- The report features seven es for species and for our-
port on how global warm- regional chapters "about selves as well," Poertner, a
ing disrupts people's lives, how physical changes in German biologist said in
their natural environment the climate change peo- a press briefing last week.
and the Earth itself. Don't ple's lives," she said. And "Because with climate
expect a flowery valentine she said it will have a strong change, some parts of the
to the planet: instead an emphasis on cities. planet would become un-
activist group predicted "a Even without seeing the fi- inhabitable."
nightmare painted in the nal report, activists call it a The report will also address
dry language of science." warning sign for the planet. ways to adapt to an ever
The United Nations' Inter- "The IPCC's horrifying evi- warming world, including
governmental Panel on Cli- dence of escalating cli- how some technological
mate Change, a collection mate impacts is set to show fixes may have unwanted
of hundreds of the world's a nightmare painted in the side effects.
top scientists, issues three dry language of science," "In some countries in the
huge reports on climate Teresa Anderson, who Northern Hemisphere, there
change every five to seven heads climate justice issues has been an assumption
years. The latest update, at ActionAid International, (of) 'Oh, well, if we cannot
which won't be finished said in a statement. control climate change,
until the end of February, Scientists won't yet say spe- we just let it go and we
will explain how climate cifically what's in the report adapt to it. So we adapt
change already affects hu- because its critical summa- out of the impacts of cli-
mans and the planet, what ry is still subject to intense mate change','' Poertner
to expect in the future, negotiation between the said. "And this is certainly a
and the risks and benefits authors and governments very illusionary approach."
of adapting to a warmer over next two weeks, with Environmentalists argue
world. consensus needed for the that the extreme weather
"We're concerned that the final version. Drafts that already seen in parts of the
physical climate around have circulated publicly world in recent years shows
us is changing," said panel will be changed, some- how urgent it is for govern-
co-chair Debra Roberts, times dramatically, before ments to address the rising
a South African environ- it is publicly released on cost of climate change.
mental scientist. "But for Feb. 28. "The forthcoming IPCC re-
most people in their day- Last August, the first of port will confirm what we
to-day lives... they want to the three reports, which already know about the
know: so what? What does prompted the U.N. to de- crushing toll of heatwaves,
drought, floods, storms,
wildfires and ocean acidifi-
cation for people and criti-
cal ecosystems," said Ra-
chel Cleetus of the Union
of Concerned Scientists.
"This comprehensive scien-
tific assessment will under-
score how much worse the
climate crisis is likely to get if
we fail to take bold global
action."q