WENY NEWS-- On August 9th at 4 AM the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the most up-to-date assessment on how global warming will affect the world in coming decades. 

The study warns of heatwaves, droughts, flooding, and a 2-degree Celsius temperature limit being broken in the near future. This report is also the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013. 

During the IPCC Press Conference, attendees presented the information, which was most notably pointing towards climate disaster. But they did express a glimmer of hope for the world to turn things around. 

“Climate Change is already affecting every region on our planet and every fraction of additional warming will increasingly affect every region in multiple ways,” said Valerie Masson-Delmotte, WGI co-chair. 

What is most notable from this report is that it puts almost all of the blame for warming temperatures dating back to the 1800s on human activities. 

“It is indisputable that human activities are causing climate change, making extreme climate events, including heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and droughts more frequent and severe,” said Panmao Zhai, IPCC Co-Chair. 

The research that led to the IPCC findings was not conducted by them; instead, hundreds of scientists came together from across the planet to compare and discuss their research. These scientists reviewed over 14,000 studies. The assessment was then written by 234 authors from 65 countries around the globe. Following the collecting of data for the assessment governments and experts were invited to ask questions during a review process.

“We know better than ever how the climate has changed in the past, how it is changing now and how it will change in the future,” said Masson-Delmotte.

Research shows that from 1850 to 2020 the temperature has risen by 33.98F and the report states that CO2 concentrations are currently at the highest they have been in two million years. 

“Levels of heat dropping gases in the atmosphere continue to increase fast,” said  Zhai. 

The report also shows that sea levels have been rising at the fastest rates in 3000 years and Arctic sea ice is the lowest it has been in at least 1000 years.  

“The warming we have already experienced has far-reaching consequences, climate change is contributing to increasing extreme heat… and drought,” said  Zhai. 

Climate change can be seen around the world, as heat waves that used to happen every fifty years are now happening every decade and as droughts threaten places like California and Kazakhstan.  

The Finger Lakes region relies heavily on agriculture and if the region was to face heavy rain and hot temperatures, Assemblywoman Dr. Anna Kelles said our crops will continue to take a beating. 

“This what you are experiencing, the erratic nature of our environment is a direct result of climate change, the impact on our harvests for farmers, drastic direct impact on harvests, all of these things are a direct impact of climate change and you have to make it personal,” said Kelles. 

While scientists warn that the climate is warming, the report says the effects can still be reversed. Masson-Delmotte said if we rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and if we can reach net-zero CO2 emissions around 2050 then we will be able to keep global warming well below two degrees. 

“If we do this it is more likely that temperature would gradually decline, to below or around 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century,” said Masson-Delmotte. 

Masson-Delmotte went on to say that for every half-degree of warming from here out, intense weather will proceed and continue to become worse and worse. 

“Unless there are immediate, strong, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius will be beyond reach,” said Masson-Delmotte.

The report states that extreme daily rainfall would intensify by seven percent for each additional temperature increase of 1C. Warming temperatures also affect the water cycle, as the temperature gets warmer, the atmosphere holds more water and results in heavier rainfalls and in the flooding and destruction of agriculture. 

While things like drought and flooding are reversible, scientists are warning that not everything is reversible. 

“Changes in ice sheets, deep ocean temperatures, and acidification will continue for centuries to thousands of years meaning that they are irreversible in our lifetime,” said Masson-Delmotte. 


For a recap of the IPCC assessment report, you can follow this link, and to find out how warming temperatures could affect your region you can follow this link and use the interactive atlas.