Climate Change – Impacts of Global Warming
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body responsible for assessing climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide a clear scientific understanding of the current state of knowledge on climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts. The IPCC provides a comprehensive view of the knowledge on climate change and its projected impacts on various regions, including Latin America:
Freshwater: Changes in rainfall patterns and the disappearance of glaciers are expected to have a significant impact on freshwater availability for various purposes, including drinking and cooking, agriculture, and energy generation.
Food: In drier areas, climate change is expected to lead to the salinization and desertification of agricultural land. This is likely to result in a decrease in the productivity of some important crops. Additionally, livestock productivity is expected to decline. These consequences have significant implications for food security. In contrast, temperate zones are projected to experience an increase in soybean yields.
Ecology and biodiversity: By the middle of the century, it is projected that rising temperatures and corresponding decreases in soil moisture will lead to a gradual shift from tropical forests to savannas in eastern Amazonia. Additionally, semi-arid vegetation is expected to be replaced by arid-land vegetation. This may result in substantial biodiversity loss due to species extinction in many areas of tropical Latin America.
Marine life and fisheries: Sea-level rise is expected to lead to a higher risk of flooding in low-lying areas. Climate change is also projected to have negative impacts on Mesoamerican coral reefs due to increases in sea surface temperature, causing changes in the distribution of southeast Pacific fish stocks.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of December 2015 recognizes that climate change poses a significant and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet.
It emphasizes the need for global cooperation and participation in an effective international response to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Deep reductions in global emissions are required to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention, and it is essential to address climate change with a sense of urgency.
When taking action to address climate change, parties should respect and consider their respective obligations on human rights, including the right to health, the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, and the rights of vulnerable groups such as migrants, children, people with disabilities, and people in vulnerable situations.
Additionally, parties should also consider the right to development, gender equality, the empowerment of women, and intergenerational equity.
Emphasizing with serious concern the urgent need to address a significant gap between the combined effect of their current mitigation pledges in terms of global annual greenhouse gas emissions and the combined emission pathways that are consistent with limiting the global temperature increase to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels, and making further efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.
Emphasizing the enduring benefits of taking ambitious and early action, including significant reductions in the costs of future mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Acknowledging the need to promote universal access to sustainable energy in developing countries, particularly in Africa, through the enhanced deployment of renewable energy.
Agreeing to uphold and promote regional and international cooperation in order to mobilize stronger and more ambitious climate action from all parties and non-party stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, financial institutions, cities, subnational authorities, local communities, and indigenous peoples
Source: United Nations – UNFCCC Studies & Reports