Click on the images above to visit the full report, or explore below to read summaries of each report.
intergovernmental panel on climate change special report 15
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In the fall of 2018, the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published, their possibly most dire Special Report to date. The overarching goal was to strengthen the response of the global community to the effects of climate change before it is too late. Earth has warmed 1.0°C above pre-industrial levels and it is likely to reach 1.5°C by mid 21st century. A continued warming above 2°C would drastically impact humans, animals, and the natural systems that sustain them. Most importantly, the differences between a world warmed 2°C above pre-industrial levels versus 1.5°C would be significant and potentially devastating. Therefore, the IPCC recommends that the global community act now to curb greenhouse gas emissions and keep warming below 2°C; climate models suggest that we only have 12 years left to achieve these important emission goals.
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the united states fourth national climate assessment
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The Global Change Research Act of 1990 requires that a report on human-induced and natural global change be delivered to Congress and the President every four years. In 2018, the fourth such report was published and submitted. The report focuses on the impacts of warming temperatures and the resulting changes that affect Americans’ lives, communities, and livelihoods. Future climate, including higher temperatures, worsening air quality, extreme weather, and disruption of ecosystem services, is expected to cause big challenges to human health by exacerbating existing concerns and revealing new risks altogether. Furthermore, these risks are expected to be greater among populations that are already vulnerable, including low-income, communities of color, children, and the elderly. The report concludes that the evidence of human-caused climate change is overwhelming and that the impacts of climate change are already present across the country, threatening the physical, social, and economic well-being of all Americans.
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the lancet countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change
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The Lancet Commission produced their fourth report in November 2018, tracking progress on health and climate change. The countdown is a monitoring system to track health impacts of climate change. Leading academic institutions and governmental agencies across disciplines collaborate on this international report, including experts in agriculture, economics, energy, transportation, public health, engineering, as well as public health. They provide recommendations for what Lancet has labeled, “the greatest threat to global health of the century.”
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2017 montana climate assessment
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This initial assessment by MSU Bozeman, University of Montana and the Institute on Ecosystems and published in 2017, focused on water, forests, and agriculture. Listening sessions across Montana initially served to determine the topics to cover. Future climate projections and their impacts on the three sectors above. The report concludes by specifying the knowledge gaps and needs for future research. A Climate Change and Human Health in Montana report is set for publication in January 2020.
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conference of the parties 24 special report on health and climate, 2018
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This World Health Organization (WHO) report, released in December 2018 at the Conference of the Parties in Poland, was prepared by the public health community. The report provides global knowledge on the connection between health and climate change, and reviews the actions and methods from across the world being implemented to create more sustainable societies. The report provides strategies to protect health while mitigating climate change, and notes that millions of lives will be saved by mid-century as countries meet their Paris Accord commitments. Notably, the report documents that the health savings are double the mitigation costs. This call to action was supported by organizations representing over 5 million doctors and 17,000 hospitals.
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