Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase

The assessment of the impacts of climate change at different levels of global warming helps inform national and international policy discussion around mitigation targets. This paper provides consistent estimates of global and regional impacts and risks at increases in global mean temperature up to 5...

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Main Authors: Arnell, Nigel, Lowe, Jason A, Challinor, Andrew J., Osborn, Timothy J
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/102439
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author Arnell, Nigel
Lowe, Jason A
Challinor, Andrew J.
Osborn, Timothy J
author_browse Arnell, Nigel
Challinor, Andrew J.
Lowe, Jason A
Osborn, Timothy J
author_facet Arnell, Nigel
Lowe, Jason A
Challinor, Andrew J.
Osborn, Timothy J
author_sort Arnell, Nigel
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The assessment of the impacts of climate change at different levels of global warming helps inform national and international policy discussion around mitigation targets. This paper provides consistent estimates of global and regional impacts and risks at increases in global mean temperature up to 5 °C above pre-industrial levels, for over 30 indicators representing temperature extremes and heatwaves, hydrological change, floods and droughts and proxies for impacts on crop yields. At the global scale, all the impacts that could plausibly be either adverse or beneficial are adverse, and impacts and risks increase with temperature change. For example, the global average chance of a major heatwave increases from 5% in 1981–2010 to 28% at 1.5 °C and 92% at 4 °C, of an agricultural drought increases from 9 to 24% at 1.5 °C and 61% at 4 °C, and of the 50-year return period river flood increases from 2 to 2.4% at 1.5 °C and 5.4% at 4 °C. The chance of a damaging hot spell for maize increases from 5 to 50% at 4 °C, whilst the chance for rice rises from 27 to 46%. There is considerable uncertainty around these central estimates, and impacts and risks vary between regions. Some impacts—for example heatwaves—increase rapidly as temperature increases, whilst others show more linear responses. The paper presents estimates of the risk of impacts exceeding specific targets and demonstrates that these estimates are sensitive to the thresholds used.
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spelling CGSpace1024392024-05-01T08:20:09Z Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase Arnell, Nigel Lowe, Jason A Challinor, Andrew J. Osborn, Timothy J food security agriculture climate change temperature The assessment of the impacts of climate change at different levels of global warming helps inform national and international policy discussion around mitigation targets. This paper provides consistent estimates of global and regional impacts and risks at increases in global mean temperature up to 5 °C above pre-industrial levels, for over 30 indicators representing temperature extremes and heatwaves, hydrological change, floods and droughts and proxies for impacts on crop yields. At the global scale, all the impacts that could plausibly be either adverse or beneficial are adverse, and impacts and risks increase with temperature change. For example, the global average chance of a major heatwave increases from 5% in 1981–2010 to 28% at 1.5 °C and 92% at 4 °C, of an agricultural drought increases from 9 to 24% at 1.5 °C and 61% at 4 °C, and of the 50-year return period river flood increases from 2 to 2.4% at 1.5 °C and 5.4% at 4 °C. The chance of a damaging hot spell for maize increases from 5 to 50% at 4 °C, whilst the chance for rice rises from 27 to 46%. There is considerable uncertainty around these central estimates, and impacts and risks vary between regions. Some impacts—for example heatwaves—increase rapidly as temperature increases, whilst others show more linear responses. The paper presents estimates of the risk of impacts exceeding specific targets and demonstrates that these estimates are sensitive to the thresholds used. 2019-08 2019-08-05T15:43:41Z 2019-08-05T15:43:41Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/102439 en https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02464-z Open Access Springer Arnell NW, Lowe JA, Challinor AJ, Osborn TJ. 2019. Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase. Climatic Change 155:377-391.
spellingShingle food security
agriculture
climate change
temperature
Arnell, Nigel
Lowe, Jason A
Challinor, Andrew J.
Osborn, Timothy J
Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
title Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
title_full Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
title_fullStr Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
title_full_unstemmed Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
title_short Global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
title_sort global and regional impacts of climate change at different levels of global temperature increase
topic food security
agriculture
climate change
temperature
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/102439
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