The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), yesterday, declared that the climate crisis will cause unprecedented damages, unless governments take urgent steps to lower emissions.

It made the disclosure in part two of its Sixth Assessment report approved by 195 countries at the weekend, which gave details of how human-induced climate change from dependence on fossil fuels was exacerbating poverty, causing water and food insecurity, extinction of animal and plant species, as well as loss and damage. 

Crucially, this new assessment shows that the extent and magnitude of climate change impacts are larger than previously estimated under the last IPCC assessment in 2014. 

Without urgent measures to limit global warming to 1.5°C, adaptation to climate change will become costlier, inefficient and in some cases simply impossible resulting in loss and damage.

The report further noted that adaptation measures could not replace emission cuts, just as its findings showed that the most vulnerable people were already being hit hardest by devastating climate impacts, among which are wildfires and floods.

In the wake of the report, African climate activists are calling on the world’s biggest polluters to take urgent action to cut emissions with a view to averting worse climate impacts and unprecedented costs to the vulnerable regions.

They have also called on the developed world to make good on pledges to support African nations to adapt to climate change and address loss and damages, as the continent bears the brunt of climate change, despite contributing negligibly. 

David Michael of Coal Free Nigeria said: “The price we will have to pay for climate inaction or delayed action would be great, more so for us as Africans. We mustn’t wait to see even worse climate impacts, which will come at a great cost to our economies, our people and the environment.

Regional Director of 350 Africa.org, Landry Ninteretse, said: “Fossil fuels continue to drive the climate crisis, leading to widespread devastation in vulnerable regions such as Africa where extreme and frequent weather events are being regularly experienced.

MEANWHILE, the IPCC said about half of the global population between 3.3 billion and 3.6 billion people now live in areas highly vulnerable to climate change, warning that climate breakdown was accelerating rapidly and many of its impacts will be more severe than predicted.

It revealed that at current levels, human actions were heating up the climate in an unprecedented manner, threatening devastation to the natural ecosystem and rendering several areas unlivable.

Co-chair of working group II of the IPCC, Hans-Otto Pörtner said: “The scientific evidence is unequivocal: Climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Further delay in global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a livable.”

Also responding to the report, United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, said: “I have seen many scientific reports in my time, but nothing like this. The IPCC report is an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed leadership on the climate crisis.”