2023 Resources for Media

Translated versions of the report:

Press release: Top 10 Climate Science Insights Unveiled: Rapid Fossil Fuels Phase-out Crucial for Minimising 1.5°C Overshoot

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Figure 1. Illustration of a temperature overshoot scenario (red line) and its risks in comparison with a non-overshoot scenario (yellow line) stabilising at 1.5°C through rapid emissions reductions and reaching net-zero emissions. The temperature of the overshoot pathway may not return to 1.5°C on reaching the same cumulative emissions as the non-overshoot scenario due to feedbacks and response lags in the Earth system components. Note that the tipping elements at risk of instability in the upper panel only correspond to the global warming levels, not to the time axis.
Figure 2. Committed CO2 emissions from fossil fuel infrastructure compared with carbon budgets reflecting the Paris Agreement target range. The bars show future emissions arising from full-lifetime operation of fossil fuel-extracting infrastructure and of fossil fuel-consuming infrastructure, also showing proposed “carbon bombs”, defined as fossil fuel extraction projects whose lifetime emissions exceed 1 GtCO2. These are compared with the remaining carbon budget as of early 2023. Dotted yellow lines reflect uncertainty regarding the possibility that some new infrastructure projects may be cancelled.
Figure 3. Taxonomy of carbon dioxide removal options. CDR methods characterised in terms of: Timescale of carbon storage: expected durability of the carbon storage (second row); Current readiness to scale: maturity level for deployment at scale (third row); and Biophysical or technical sequestration potential (fourth row), reflecting current understanding (based largely on IPCC 2022, AR6-WG3:Ch12.3).
Figure 4. The remaining carbon budget depends on expectations about the future carbon sinks. If sinks are smaller than expected, and mitigation action is not adjusted accordingly, then there will be even more warming than expected.
Figure 5. Ecoregions of the Western Indian Ocean showing their risk of coral reef collapse in the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. Risk levels for climate (thermometer icon) and biotic (coral and fish icons) ecosystem components are shown with their individual levels of risk. The combined biotic risk level is shown in the ring around the coral/fish icons, and for each ecoregion by background shading and the map. The text highlights biodiversity–climate interactions, prospects for management and benefits for people.
Figure 6. A compound event. The illustration shows how a cyclone (blue icon) followed shortly afterwards by a wildfire (orange icon) can create a much larger impact than either event on its own. On the bottom right is a visualisation of the severity of cyclone and wildfire hazards, causing a potential impact that gets exponentially worse towards the upper right as indicated by the different equilibrium state in the “cyclone X fire” case.
Figure 7. Glacier loss and sea-level rise from 2015–2100. Discs show global and regional projections of glacier mass remaining by 2100 (relative to 2015) for global mean temperature change scenarios. The size of each disc is based on the region’s contribution to global mean sea-level rise from 2015–2100 for the +2°C scenario. Nested rings are coloured by temperature change scenarios showing normalised mass remaining in 2100. Regional sea-level rise contributions larger than 1 mm sea-level equivalent for the +2°C scenario are in the centre of each disc. The colour of the outer circle refers to the risk to livelihoods and the economy from changing mountain water resources, for global warming between 1.5–2°C (IPCC, 2022, AR6-WG2:CCP5.3). The map shows population density (people per km2) in grey, and glaciers in blue.
Figure 8. Intersecting community- and individual-level factors influencing individual decision-making processes regarding immobility in climate-risk contexts.
Figure 9. A perspective on the components of adaptation justice and implications in adaptation planning and processes.
Figure 10. Just climate solutions for food systems transformations. Current food systems transformations for climate action are constrained due to siloed decision-making, insufficient consideration of regional disparities in geographies, innovation, socio-economic factors and power asymmetries across key actors, all of which act as barriers to effective climate action and result in unjust and unsustainable food systems. Integrating more just and inclusive approaches that engage and empower all stakeholders, particularly those most vulnerable to climate change, including co-designing a plurality of solutions with fair distribution of costs and benefits, can help transition towards a governance system more capable of contributing to climate action in a more effective manner across the food sector.

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