Assessing climate risks is an urgent and challenging task, requiring an understanding of numerous areas, such as the complex interactions within the global climate system and the responses of natural ecosystems, the potential impacts of current emissions reduction measures, and the interplay of political, social, and economic factors, including forced migration, dramatic shifts in global food production, rising violence, and government failures. The report, titled "Climate Change: A Risk Assessment" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), was released today (July 13, 2015). This report provides an authoritative analysis of these issues. Its authors include Sir David King of the United Kingdom, Professor Daniel Schrag of the United States, Professors Zhou Dadi and Qi Ye of China, and Dr. Arunabha Ghosh of India. They urge governments to pay close attention to climate change and provide timely assessments. Last week, Dr. Ghosh pointed out in Delhi, India, that scientists, actuaries, military officers, and policy analysts have different definitions of risk. Scientists are cautious about predicting future climate impacts. Actuaries and military officers, however, need to plan for worst-case scenarios, thus focusing more on extreme situations. Dr. Goshen stated that this report not only considers worst-case scenarios but also incorporates data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
