This content was originally published on The Resilience Shift website. The Resilience Shift, a 5-year programme supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and hosted by Arup, transitioned at the end of 2021 to become Resilience Rising. You can read more about The Resilience Shift’s journey and the transition to Resilience Rising here.
Scientists are observing ‘widespread, rapid and intensifying’ changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole climate system, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, released today (see press release).
Seth Schultz, CEO, The Resilience Shift, says, “Extreme weather combined with COVID-19 is a double blow for millions of people around the world. The urgency is real to build resilience to climate impacts and to other complex uncertainties facing us. We need to see tangible results, and transformative changes starting to happen across every sector of our economies worldwide.
“This report is a reality check,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte. “We now have a much clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential for understanding where we are headed, what can be done, and how we can prepare.”
The report also shows that human actions still have the potential to determine the future course of climate. The evidence is clear that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main driver of climate change, even as other greenhouse gases and air pollutants also affect the climate.
Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented and some of the changes already set in motion”such as continued sea level rise”are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years. Strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases would limit climate change but while benefits for air quality would come quickly, it could take 20-30 years to see global temperatures stabilize, according to the IPCC Working Group I report, Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis.
Seth Schultz said, “In our goal to build resilience, The Resilience Shift is aligned with the goal to drive decarbonisation. The two must go hand in hand to reap the benefits of the investment needed in sustainable and resilient infrastructure. It is clear that investing in one without the other is a risk.”
“Resilience provides more security and “insurance’ for our investments in decarbonisation. And decarbonisation is essential to the resilience of humankind and our future on this planet.”
“In a further step to bring the two critical pieces together in our work and the work of others, we are collaborating with the UNFCCC’s Climate Champions in supporting the Race to Zero and the Race to Resilience.”
“At the time of our strategic partnership with Resilience First, announced earlier this year, Nigel Topping, the UK’s Climate Champion, said, “We have put out a call for organisations everywhere to join us in the #racetozero #racetoresilience and I am personally delighted that so many have heeded our call. Now it’s time for action – all firms, public or private, must decarbonise and, in parallel, they must build their resilience and that of their industry.”
Seth Schultz adds, “With the critical global actions on climate starting to accelerate, it is time too for all to urgently consider how they transform what they do, build more resilience, and contribute positively to a safe, sustainable and resilient future.”
