Excerpts of the IPCC report are reproduced below :-
1. In recent decades, changes in
climate have caused impacts on natural
and human systems on all continents and across the oceans.
2. In many regions, changing
precipitation or melting snow and ice are altering hydrological systems,
affecting water resources in terms of quantity and quality. Glaciers
continue to shrink almost worldwide due to climate change affecting runoff and
water resources.
3. Many terrestrial, freshwater,
and marine species have shifted their geographic ranges, seasonal activities,
migration patterns, abundances, and species interactions in response to ongoing
climate change
4.
Impacts
from recent climate-related extremes, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones,
and wildfires, reveal significant vulnerability and exposure of some ecosystems
and many human systems to current climate variability.
5. Climate-related hazards
exacerbate other stressors, often with negative outcomes for livelihoods,
especially for people living in poverty .Climate-related hazards affect poor
people’s lives directly through impacts on livelihoods, reductions in crop
yields, or destruction of homes and indirectly through, for example, increased
food prices and food insecurity.
6. Adaptation is becoming
embedded in some planning processes, with more limited implementation of
responses.
7. Adaptation experience is
accumulating across regions in the public and private sector and within
communities. Governments at various levels are starting to develop adaptation
plans and policies and to integrate climate-change considerations into broader
development plans.
The full report is here
Praful Rao,
Kalimpong,
Dist Darjeeling
