The IPCC report has made it abundantly clear: act now
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its second report as part of the 6th assessment series, providing stark insights into the global impacts of climate change. For real estate and sustainability professionals, it is a profound call to action, writes Agathe Kuhn, Senior Policy Consultant at Longevity Partners.
Acting as a major update in climate science, the IPCC report highlights the interconnectedness of the built environment and climate change. It has made clear that the magnitude and pace of climate change impacts are far greater than previously assessed.
For key players in the built environment – governments, businesses and the finance community alike, the report emphasises the need to wake up to this reality and take concrete action.
Amongst several bold statistics, the IPCC states over 40% of the world's population is ‘highly vulnerable’ to climate impacts and that, by 2050, over a billion people will be living on coastlines at high risk of severe flooding. With a further 2.5 billion people expected to inhabit urban areas by 2050, we need to make life in cities as climate resilient as possible.
Consultancies can provide key players in the built environment with the expertise necessary to adapt their practices to current and future climate impacts. It is in this light that the IPCC report is of particular value, as it contains key information for the assessment of climate-related risks, which consulting firms like Longevity Partners will use when providing climate adaptation support to clients.
It is every organisation’s responsibility to contribute to climate risk management and ensure appropriate action is taken. Long-term climate mitigation and adaptation actions must form the core of today’s business decisions if we are to reduce our physical and financial exposure to irreversible climate impacts. This is especially true for the real estate sector, in which assets are already visibly affected.
While the insights of the IPCC report demonstrate that the magnitude of the impacts of climate change are even greater than we envisioned, they do not reveal any new information regarding the pressing need to act. It is the hope of the climate community that this warning will no longer be side-lined, and that sufficient action will finally be taken.
At Longevity Partners, we strive to support businesses willing to create the systemic change needed to stay in the ‘climate safety zone’.