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Climate change and the Ocean : the alarming conclusions of the latest IPCC Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has launched on Monday, August 9, the first contribution to its Sixth Assessment cycle. Produced by 234 authors coming from more than 66 countries, this Report provides the most updated and detailed analysis on the climate system, available to this day.

What are the key insights of the latest IPCC Assessment Report 

The latest Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), highlights the indisputable impact of human activities on the climate system, which has caused an unprecedented warming worldwide. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that the global temperature will reach the 1.5 degrees target limit, compared to the pre-industrial period, by the year 2030.

Moreover, the IPCC Report shows that the changes affecting our Earth climate system are rapid, widespread and intensifying. Extreme weather events such as heat waves and heavy rainfalls are now more frequent and intense. And even more preoccupying : some changes are considered by this Report as being “irreversible for centuries or millenniums”. In particular, sea-level rise could reach 1 meter by the year 2100. And it is not the only climate-related threat that profoundly impacts our Blue Planet.

Acidification, global warming, rising sea levels… The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report shows the grave consequences of climate change on the Ocean  

The Ocean regulates the entire climate system, produces half of the oxygen available on Earth and provides key resources. Yet, despite its crucial role for our survival, the Ocean is particularly threatened today. Indeed, the multiple consequences of climate change on the Ocean are intensifying, thus threatening both its functioning and its ecosystems. The Assessment Report shows that the Ocean is increasingly facing warming, acidification, deoxygenation and rising sea levels phenomena, which are all related to anthropogenic activities. 

Coastal communities are at the forefront of these climate change effects. As highlighted by the IPCC, littoral zones are more and more affected by coastal erosion, flooding, as well as extreme phenomena linked to rising sea levels. The latter can now happen every year by the end of the century, instead of once every 100 years. 

To learn more on coastal erosion issues : Storm warning : beware of coastal risks, January 5, 2021.

However, it is still possible to further positive change

The latest IPCC Report is irrevocable: while the global climate situation is of great concern, the measures implemented by States are not enough for limiting global warming to 2 degrees or less by the end of the century. Intensifying mitigation efforts at the global level has never been so urgent. The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled in November 2021 in Glasgow (United Kingdom), will therefore provide a significant opportunity for all countries to showcase more ambitious climate efforts, and above all, to plan some concrete actions. The recognition of the Ocean within climate negotiations had known a great step forward during the COP 25 in Madrid. The upcoming COP 26 will represent the occasion to reinforce these efforts, as the level of threat that the Ocean is facing nowadays will only continue to increase. 

To learn more on the recognition of the Ocean within climate negotiations : Five years after the Paris Agreement, the fight is not over, December 11, 2020.

Protecting the Ocean, and more generally, the entire climate system implies to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Every fraction of degree of global warming counts and will determine the climate impacts that human societies and natural ecosystems will face in the years to come. Promoting sustainable maritime transport and encouraging the development of Marine Renewable Energies (MRE) are part of the solution. 

The multidimensional aspect of the climate crisis requires the implication of decisionmakers, as well as the private sector, scientists and the civil society. The interactive atlas, the new tool developed by the IPCC in its latest assessment report, points out that each region is already impacted by climate change. Hence, one should further regional and local approaches of the issue, in order to implement efficient and comprehensive mitigation and adaptation policies .

For more than 30 years, Surfrider Foundation Europe has been committed alongside citizens and decision makers, in order to advance positive change in the field of climate change. By acting on the field through its chapters, and by pursuing its advocacy and expertise work at both the national and European level, Surfrider Foundation Europe reaffirms its commitment to promote a sustainable way of life, from the local to the international level.

Discover more on Surfrider Foundation Europe’s commitment against climate change.