UN warns of climate chaos unless governments act

Many more live in high mountain areas affected by hazards caused by melting glaciers and ice, or downstream where water supplies and food security will be hit by changes to the frozen lands above.

Urgent action to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving rising temperatures will limit the damage to the oceans and frozen areas and the people and wildlife that rely on them, experts behind the report said.

Melting ice will raise sea levels 

There is also a need to focus on helping people and natural systems adapt to the already inevitable changes, such as rising seas, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found.

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The world has already experienced 1C of warming which has made the oceans warmer and more acidic and affected fish stocks, while melting glaciers and ices sheets are causing sea levels to rise,

The charity WWF Scotland said that the Scottish Government must use every coming opportunity to put in place solutions to the climate crisis if it is play its part in addressing the worst impacts of climate change.

For the latest IPCC report, more than 100 authors from 36 countries drew on around 7,000 scientific publications that looked at two major elements of the climate - the oceans and the cryosphere, or frozen areas.

It contains a warning that sea level rises are accelerating and will continue for centuries.

While sea level has risen globally by around 15cm during the 20th century, it is currently rising more than twice as fast, at 3.6 mm per year, and speeding up as Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melt.

Sea levels could rise by around 30cm to 60cm by 2100 even if greenhouse gases are rapidly cut and global warming is kept to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, but around 60-110 cm if emissions continue to increase, the study said.

Marine animals are under threat 

Rising seas combine with tides or storms to create extreme surges and flooding - and the report warns further warming will mean events that occurred once a century could happen every year by mid-century.

Annual coastal flood damages are projected to increase 100 to 1,000 times by 2100, and some island nations are "likely to become uninhabitable" due to climate change, the report said.

The oceans have helped limit the impact of greenhouse gases so far, absorbing much of the extra heat and carbon dioxide, but that has affected the survival of fish stocks and wildlife such as corals, a situation set to worsen.

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And the melting permafrost contains large stores of greenhouse gases which could be released into the atmosphere as the frozen ground thaws, adding to global warming.

Hoesung Lee, chairman of the IPCC said: "The open sea, the Arctic, the Antarctic and the high mountains may seem far away to many people.

"But we depend on them and are influenced by them directly and indirectly in many ways - for weather and climate, for food and water, for energy, trade, transport, recreation and tourism, for health and wellbeing, for culture and identity."

"If we reduce emissions sharply, consequences for people and their livelihoods will still be challenging, but potentially more manageable for those who are most vulnerable."

WWF Scotland’s director Lang Banks said: “Whether it’s rising sea levels, increased flooding or changes in the levels of important fish stocks and other marine species around our coastline, the damage carbon pollution is causing to our planet is increasing daily.

“This extremely worrying report underlines the need for the Scottish Government to build on its welcome focus on climate change at the heart of the Programme for Government by rapidly accelerating policy action and funding to cut carbon and restore nature.

“At a time when all eyes are starting to turn to Scotland ahead of the UN Climate talks in Glasgow, it’s vital that Scottish Ministers step up action to address the climate emergency in the next Budget and Climate Plan.”

Storm surges will increase, the report says

Cathy Tilbrook, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)’s Head of Sustainable Coasts and Seas added: "In tracking the health of Scotland’s seas and the wildlife they support, we are seeing growing evidence of stresses caused by climate change, including declines in many seabird populations, and increased incidence of marine non-native invasive species.

"Our work to designate and manage Marine Protected Areas and advise on fisheries management aims to increase resilience and allow wildlife to adapt to many of these changes.

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“Some marine and coastal habitats, like maerl beds, saltmarshes and marine sediments, are important ‘blue carbon’ stores and as we learn more about how they function, we are looking at how to ensure they continue to lock up carbon as well as providing other critical functions for people and nature."

She added: “There is still time to tackle climate change, but it will require an unprecedented effort from all sectors of society. We know we have a big task before us but working with our partners we are ready to deliver the transformational change required to bring a nature rich future for Scotland, part of the urgently needed solution to climate change.”

Marine wildlife needs safeguarding from the effects of climate change

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “There is a global climate emergency and the Scottish Government is acting accordingly. Scotland’s climate change achievements are already world leading and our new Climate Change Bill is redefining what international leadership means.

"Not only are we setting legally binding targets to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases to net-zero, we are also putting in place the most stringent framework of statutory targets of any country in the world.

“Our reputation in marine science is world renowned. We have a marine monitoring in place to measure the impacts of climate change and work is underway to establish a monitoring programme for ocean acidification."

She added: "As announced in our new Programme for Government, we will create a new virtual Centre to co-ordinate marine climate change science and research in response to the global climate emergency.”