IPCC launches Special Report on Extreme Weather Events

In recent years, extreme weather and climate events have taken many lives and caused billions of dollars in economic losses. Is climate change leading to increases in the number and severity of extreme events? How do social and environmental factors interact with weather and climate events to create disasters? And what can be done to make societies more resilient to extremes?

The scientific information on these questions is assessed by a Special Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.

The IPCC, which is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, released a 19-page Summary for Policymakers in November 2011.

The full 592-page report released 28 March provides the detailed evidence underlying the findings highlighted in the Summary for Policymakers, complete with graphics, full reference details, report glossary and index. In addition the chapters provide comprehensive detail on the concepts and determinants of disaster risk, an assessment of past and future changes in climate extremes and their impacts at global and regional scales, and a discussion of local to international level approaches for managing weather-related risks. Case studies are used to provide valuable insights into best practices and experiences.

“This Special Report, in particular, contributes to frame the challenge of dealing with extreme weather and climate events as an issue in decision-making under uncertainty, analyzing response in the context of risk management,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud and UNEP Executive Director Achm Steiner.

- WMO