Academics' key climate change report

Academics from Geography at the University of Exeter have played an important role in The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s most recent report.

This second part of the IPCC’s assessment considers how the changing climate impacts on people and the natural world and suggests options for how to deal with these issues through adapting the economy, infrastructure and society.

The report is the culmination of three years of work by more than 300 authors from 70 countries, reporting in almost 2000 pages.

The report assesses the sensitivity and adaptability to climate change for regions around the world, and for the world’s oceans. It examines in detail agriculture and food security, water resources and scarcity, human health, cities, economic sectors and evaluates the effectiveness of how adaptation is being undertaken.

Professor Neil Adger is Coordinating Lead Author on the chapter on human security for the Working Group 2 volume of IPCC‘s Fifth Assessment Report.

He states: “The key message from this enormous effort is that climate change has real consequences everywhere. No place or country is immune from these impacts. Adapting to this changing climate will not be easy, but we need to start now. It has been a privilege to be a part of this multi-cultural, international effort."

Professor Richard Betts, Chair in Climate Impacts at the University of Exeter and Head of Climate Impacts at the Met Office Hadley Centre, is a Lead Author on the Report and is responsible for assessing the impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems, including the world’s forests, agriculture and other land uses.

Dr Helen Adams in Geography is a Contributing Author on the Human Security chapter, building on her key research on the ways in which the environment interacts with migration in areas vulnerable to climate change around the world.

The Working Group II (WGII) contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability was adopted and approved by the world’s governments at a conference in Yokohama, Japan, on 25-29 March.