Royal Star Fish -Astropecten articulatus, Daytona Beach Shores, Fla. Copyright Marc Walz. (Posted on the Encyclopedia of Life)

“The world has to adapt – and to mitigate,” so says Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Climate Change 2014, the IPCC Working Group II Contribution to AR5, a report that looks at the impacts of climate change, adaptation, and vulnerability of all living species, has just been released. (See below for direct report link)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

The report is the work of a huge scientific community: a total of 309 coordinating lead authors, lead authors, and review editors, drawn from 70 countries, were selected to produce the report. They enlisted the help of 436 contributing authors, and a total of 1,729 expert and government reviewers.

Climate Change 2014 looks at what’s known (physical changes), who is susceptible, and what can be done to adapt – and mitigate change.

View on water landscape with trees at the Lake Neusiedl National Park, located at the Austria-Hungarian border region. All rights reserved © 2005 Archiv Nationalpark Neusiedler See

Here’s a compilation of areas of focus in the report:

• freshwater resources, terrestrial and inland water systems,  coastal systems and low-lying areas, ocean systems, food security and food production systems , urban areas, rural areas, key economic sectors and services;
• human health: impacts, adaptation, and co-benefits, human security, livelihoods and poverty;
• adaptation needs and options,  adaptation planning and implementation, adaptation opportunities, constraints, and limits, economics of adaptation, detection and attribution of observed impacts;
• emergent risks and key vulnerabilities, climate-resilient pathways: adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development.

Direct link to the report includes a 12-minute video

Article in the New York Times 

Endangered and struggling for survival