Arctic Awareness Program

Author : Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (135 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic written by Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The key findings of SWIPA 2017 have implications for policy and planning in four broad areas: Limit Future Change: Stabilizing Arctic warming and its associated impacts will require substantial near-term cuts in net global greenhouse gas emissions. Full implementation of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will cause Arctic temperatures to stabilize-at a higher level than today-in the latter half of this century. This will require much larger cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions than those planned under current nationally determined contributions to the fulfillment of the UNFCCC. The Arctic states, permanent participants, and observers to the Arctic Council should individually and collectively lead global efforts for an early, ambitious, and full implementation of the Paris COP21 Agreement, including efforts to reduce emissions of short-lived climate forcers. Adapt to Near-Term Impacts: The transformative changes underway in the Arctic will continue and in some cases accelerate until at least mid-century regardless of efforts to reduce emissions. Impacts from climate change are thus expected to intensify for at least the next three to four decades, creating a clear and urgent need for knowledge and strategies to help Arctic communities and global society adapt to new conditions and reduce vulnerabilities to expected impacts. Addressing major knowledge gaps will help ensure adaptation strategies are grounded in a solid understanding of potential impacts and interactions. The Arctic Council and other international organizations should prioritize research and knowledge-building efforts leading to enhanced certainty in predictions of changes and their consequences at local to global scales, facilitating the development of effective adaptation responses to changes in the Arctic cryosphere. Support the Advancement of Understanding: SWIPA 2017 demonstrates great advances in our understanding of changes in the Arctic cryosphere, but also reveals major knowledge gaps. It also identifies several unmet scientific goals and specific areas where more observations and research are needed. As awareness of Arctic climate change and its consequences has grown, a number of international organizations, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the International Council for Science (ICSU) through the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), have become increasingly engaged in understanding the implications of Arctic change. Making advances in these areas will require international coordination; long-term commitments to funding; the application of traditional and local knowledge; engagement with stakeholders; and coordinated and enhanced observation networks. The Arctic Council should continue its efforts to monitor, assess, and understand Arctic climate change and its implications. It should also support and interact with efforts of international organizations and conventions such as IPCC, WMO, the UNFCCC, and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) to promote the inclusion of Arctic perspectives in their work. Raise Public Awareness of the Implications of Changes in the Arctic Cryosphere: Outreach and public sharing of information about Arctic climate change, its consequences, uncertainties, risks, adaptation options, and effects of emission reductions are key to informed governance and policy development. The Arctic Council, permanent participants, and observers to the Council should prioritize informing and educating the public about observations, projections, and implications of Arctic climate change. This document presents the AMAP 2017 Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA) Assessment Summary for Policy-makers. More detailed information on the results of the assessment can be found in the SWIPA Scientific Assessment Report. For more information, contact the AMAP Secretariat"--ASTIS database.