The Working Group II contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, was published earlier in February 2022.

The report summarizes the latest scientific understanding on impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, outlining how hazards and risks resulting from climate change will affect humans, ecosystems, and the economy, with considerations of sustainable development, aspects of justice and equity, and the action needed to build resilience. It conveys the urgency of action on adaptation and loss and damage.

This new report follows the report Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, which was released by Working Group I of the IPCC in August 2021. The Working Group III contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, covering climate change mitigation and looking at ways to reduce emissions to meet the Paris Agreement targets, will be published in April 2022.

The Synthesis Report, condensing the findings of the sixth assessment cycle, is expected to be published in September 2022, ahead of the UNFCCC COP27.

WBCSD’s business summary highlights the key findings of the new IPCC report and helps identify key opportunities for private sector action towards a net-zero, nature positive and equitable future. We will review the next report and provide similar summaries.