074 SUSTAINABILITY


THE SCALE of the impact of climate change was laid bare in a report earlier this year by UN scientists that warned that a rise in sea levels of almost 2m by the end of this century is a very real possibility, and urged governments and other stakeholders to take effective action to slow rising global temperatures.


In the first of a series of reports due over the coming months on the science of climate change, the research by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) said that human damage to the climate is a ‘statement of fact’. UN secretary- general Antonio Guterres warned


that the report is ‘code red for humanity’, adding that government leaders and other stakeholders must ensure that the COP26 climate change summit is a success. He said: ‘If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as this report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.’ Using observed temperatures and computer simulation to consider human factors against simulated natural-only factors, the authors of the report pointed out that temperatures have increased since pre-industrial times by 1.1°C. In addition, since 1970, global surface


temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period in the past 2,000 years.


IPCC scientists warn that even if the 1.5°C temperature rise limit proposed under the Paris Agreement is achieved, some long-term impacts are likely to still be inevitable, including rising sea levels and the melting of Arctic ice. Tey add that this level of heating would still result in an increase in heatwaves, more intense storms, and more serious droughts and floods, but all much smaller in scale than 2°C. Te report needed no greater context than the climate-related


This image The Waterside building, which serves as the headquarters of British Airways, was hailed as a prime example of biophilic design


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