Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report

Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (Ipcc)

Released on March 20, 2023, the Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report concludes the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report was adopted by the member countries at the IPCC Panel held from March 13 to 17, 2023 in Interlaken, Switzerland. It underscores the urgent need for policymakers to address global climate change, highlighting near-term risks and actionable options. Key findings of the report include the interaction of climate risks with each other and the benefits of combining mitigation and adaptation strategies. The report stresses the importance of equity in climate action and the opportunities presented by urbanisation for advancing climate-resilient and sustainable development. Additionally, it emphasizes that restoring and protecting land and ocean ecosystems is crucial for biodiversity and societal goals, with failure posing a significant risk to a healthy planet. This synthesis report draws on and collates the findings of the three AR6 reports: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis released by Working Group I, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability released by Working Group II, and Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change released by Working Group III. It also includes material from the three special IPCC reports released during the same cycle: Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018), Climate Change and Land (2019), and The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (2019). The 186-page report is structured in two parts. The first part is a ‘Summary for Policymakers’ which is derived from the longer, second part and is composed for wide readership...