IPCC Releases SREX Summary for Policymakers

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released the Summary for Policymakers of its much anticipated special report on climate extremes.

The summary report was approved by IPCC member governments during the international body's recent meetings in Kampala, Uganda and released to the public on November 18, 2011. Publication of the full report titled Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) is expected in February 2012.

The report addresses, for the first time, how integrating expertise in climate science, disaster risk management, and adaptation can inform discussions on how to reduce and manage the risks of extreme events and disasters in a changing climate. The report evaluates the role of climate change in altering characteristics of extreme events and assesses experience with a wide range of options used by institutions, organizations, and communities to reduce exposure and vulnerability, and improve resilience, to climate extremes.

Key themes of the report include:

• Increases in some extreme weather and climate events have already been observed in some parts of the world and further increases are projected over the course of this century.
• Socioeconomic development, natural climate variations, and human-caused climate change have an influence on climate- and weather-related disaster risk.
• Experience with disaster risk management and climate change adaptation can inform effective approaches to prepare for and respond to extreme events and disasters.

Visit the SREX website for more information, including how to obtain copies of the summary report.