Trend Warming driving more frequent and severe extreme weather

Summary

The report defines climate change as a long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns and traces it to human activity raising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Burning coal, oil and gas and changing land use have sharply increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane, pushing up global temperatures. That warming has made extreme weather such as heavy rain and heatwaves more frequent and more intense. The report holds that each additional step of warming makes hazards like floods, heatwaves and droughts more common, endangering public health, lives, infrastructure and ecosystems. UK bodies have warned that poor planning and maladaptation in the UK could make these outcomes worse. The report adds that impacts such as sea level rise will continue even if net zero is reached and temperatures stabilise.