Read here. Because the IPCC is primarily a political organization pursuing a political/governance agenda, it has been myopically focused on greenhouse gases, specifically CO2. This institutional mania has resulted in major shortcomings for policymakers, as they continue to be woefully ignorant of critical aspects of non-CO2 climate science. An example of this ignorance is the lack of policy initiatives to protect and enhance natural surface environments, which are critical to moderating negative climate change impacts.
“Climate change policies currently focus on reducing the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases, but pay limited attention to feedbacks between the land surface and the climate system. Forests and woodlands play an important role in the climate system by buffering climate extremes.....To reduce the potential impact of climate variability and change on society and the environment, therefore, requires a broader focus of environmental sustainability and resilience that is underpinned by the restoration of feedbacks between vegetation and climate. We urge a stronger integration of land use and climate change policies, a virtual halt to all deforestation, and an acceleration of investment in strategic reforestation, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions, supported by a comprehensive global forest monitoring program. Without these actions, the degradation of the Earth’s ecosystems will continue exacerbated by, and exacerbating, variability and changes in temperature, precipitation and extreme weather events.”
