The latest report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has issued some of the most daunting warnings to date regarding the status of the planet and the adverse effects being caused by humans.

Hundreds of respected climate scientists have contributed to the most recent report and where once there was uncertainty regarding contributions to climate change the evidence is now overwhelming that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land.

The report indicates that humans have increased the production of greenhouse gases since 2011 when the last measurements were taken as a part of the IPCC fifth assessment.

The report has highlighted that the earth has warmed by an estimated 1.1°C since pre-industrial times. Over the last four decades, each decade has been warmer than any decade that proceeded since 1850. This temperature increase is having negative impacts on our ecosystems with plants, animals and other organisms struggling to adapt to the rapid rate of warming.

So far human-induced climate change has resulted in the retreat of glaciers and a reduction in Arctic sea ice altering the dynamics of our oceans. There has also been a rise in mean sea level and an increase in ocean acidification of open waters. There has been an increase in heavy precipitation (snow and rain) events causing widespread flooding and damage to the environment. We are only beginning to comprehend the adverse ecosystem effects this is having and will continue to have well into the future.

Considering this report from an Irish perspective it is now clearer than ever that we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by increasing the efficiency of our homes and businesses, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel-based transport, re-evaluating our relationship with nature and creating more wild spaces for ecosystems to recover.

This report is published during a summer when the world has seen widespread wildfires across Europe, Siberia and large parts of the US, severe flooding in Germany and China, and the highest temperatures on record in North America. Unless we can reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions production and change our relationship with the planet we live on we are likely to see a lot more of these events in the coming years.

To view the full IPCC click here

A special thank you to Celtic Routes for providing the cover photo at the start of this piece.