A world without glaciers – How can scientists contribute to enhancing climate ambition, in Switzerland and beyond?

Watch a video of an event presenting the most recent IPCC findings (focussing on Working Group 1) and discussing how to raise the ambition level for achieving international climate goals in mountain and polar regions.

Multiple Authors

May 26, 2022
2 min read
Event: 01/11/2021 - 17:15 (UTC +02:00) - 18:45 (UTC +02:00)

Glacier in the French Alps. Photo by René Reichelt on Unsplash

Summary

Glaciers, snow cover and permafrost are disappearing all over the world as a result of global warming. Faced with this emergency, scientists are working to improve the physical science underpinning past, present and future climate change, thus contributing to an ever-strengthening understanding of how the climate system works, and how it is changing in response to human activity.

What are the new scientific findings emerging from WGI of the Sixth Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)? What are the consequences for mountain and polar regions? What risks will Switzerland be exposed to in the near future? What are the new strategies that can be adopted to reduce risk?

On the basis of the most recent IPCC findings (focus on Working Group 1) presented by the keynote speakers, the panelists discuss how to raise the ambition level for achieving COP26 tangible outcomes. They discuss what new scientific evidence is needed to improve climate policies, in Switzerland and beyond, and the role of scientists in public debates, political decision-making and collective action.

Watch the recording of this event below. This event is also available to watch in French here.

You can also read a blog summarising the event by Julien Michellod and Gianni Tassotti, from UNIGE. Watch more webinars on the Geneva Cryosphere Hub.

COP26 / 1er novembre – VO from MykiStudio on Vimeo.

Speakers:

Vice rector Jean-Marc Triscone (University of Geneva),
Ambassador Stefan Estermann (Head of Prosperity and Sustainability Division, FDFA )
Prof. Samuel Jaccard (University of Lausanne)
Prof. Sonia Seneviratne (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich)
Prof. Matthias Huss (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich)
Prof. Markus Stoffel (University of Geneva)
Prof. Geraldine Pflieger (University of Geneva)
Dr. Elena Manaenkova (Deputy Secretary-General, WMO)
Dr. Sebastian König, (Chief Scientist & IPCC Focal Point of Switzerland at the Federal Office for the Environment), with the participation of members of the Swiss delegation

Moderator: Claire Doole

Key messages

“What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic” – Ambassador Stefan Estermann.

If the cryosphere disappears, the whole humanity is going to be impacted.
Analysis of regional impacts and possible remedy actions have to take central stage now.
A significantly disturbed water cycle renders impacts for mountain communities extremely challenging, and reducing the effects of global warming is becoming a global emergency.
We need to bridge geopolitical differences to enhance climate change adaptation capacity and to improve the science-policy dialogue.
Current policies, climate forecasts are pointing to a temperature increase of 2.4°C compared to the preindustrial era… Immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming and its negative impacts are needed.

Find more insights from this event in A WORLD WITHOUT GLACIERS – HOW CAN SCIENTISTS CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCING CLIMATE AMBITION, IN SWITZERLAND AND BEYOND? byJulien Michellod and Gianni Tassotti.