Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report

Abstract

Proponents of sustainable development should be worried by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC's) Fifth Assessment Report. However, they might not know that from the Summaries for Policymakers. According to the IPCC, "Delaying mitigation may reduce options for climate-resilient pathways in the future." This potential loss of future options poses risks to societies and socio-ecological systems that should already be modifying how we think about development goals, even sustainable development goals.

Keywords: climate change, IPCC, Fifth Assessment Report, AR5, sustainable development, end of sustainability, existential threat