IIED statement on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report

Dr Camilla Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development says: "The new IPCC report highlights the threats climate change poses to people's peace and prosperity. It shows that countries, communities and companies must act fast to adapt to the changing climate, but it shows too that there are limits to adaptation and this drives home the urgency of global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

"Now is the time for unprecedented global solidarity and cooperation. Now is the opportunity for true leaders to shine. Some of the world's least developed countries are already forging ahead. Ethiopia has committed to carbon-neutral development. Bangladesh has invested US$10 billion of its own money to adapt to extreme climatic events. Nepal is the first country to develop adaptation plans at the community level."

"It is time for the richer countries to pull their weight and do the right thing, by investing at home and abroad in actions that can reduce emissions and protect people and property from danger. The climate reminds us that we are all in this together and that we can only solve this problem is as a united international community."

Several of IIED’s researchers (listed below) contributed to the new IPCC report.

Its main themes of impacts and adaptation will form the focus on our international conference on community-based adaptation to climate change, next month in Nepal.