Third Assessment Report Slides: Suggestions

Main Messages about the:
Key Findings of Working Group I
Key Findings of Working Group II
Key Findings of Working Group III
IPCC and TAR Credibility
Role of the US

Below we suggest several main messages on the findings of each of the TAR's three working groups, the credibility of the IPCC, and the role of the US in mitigating climate change. You may wish to emphasize a few of these in your presentation. UCS developed these messages in close collaboration with a number of scientists involved in the TAR. They are scientifically defensible and effective from a communications perspective. The more you reiterate a few of these main messages, the more likely they will be remembered by your audience.


Main Messages from Working Group I (Science)

  • The TAR paints a collective picture of a warming world that is already seeing the first impacts of a changing climate.
  • The IPCC predicts that global temperature will rise from 2.5-10.4°F (1.4-5.8°C) over this century unless greenhouse gas emissions are greatly reduced.
  • The TAR concludes that there is increasing evidence of a human influence on climate. The report says that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are likely to already "have contributed substantially to the observed warming over the last 50 years." The IPCC states that this human influence will continue to grow during the next century unless measures are taken to reduce GHG emissions.


Main Messages from Working Group II (Impacts)

  • Climate change is underway and the impacts are already visible. We have empirical evidence that plants and animals -- as well as physical processes (such as glaciers retreating) -- are responding to higher temperatures. In the IPCC's own words: "An increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world."

    To support this message, you may wish to include several examples from the IPCC report. Remember, however, that while any one example, below, is consistent with what you'd expect with global warming, it is the cumulative evidence—that is, all these changes in all these different systems taken together—that is really convincing, and it is the collective impact that should be emphasized.
    • glaciers are melting
    • permafrost is thawing
    • Antarctic sea ice is thinning
    • coral reefs are dying
    • drought, floods, and heat waves are more frequent
    • sea level is rising
    • lakes and rivers are freezing later and thawing earlier
    • tree flowering, insect emergence, and egg-laying in birds are occurring earlier in spring
    • plants and animals are shifting their ranges poleward and to higher altitudes.

  • Climate change and its impacts over the next 100 years will be much more significant than what we've seen over the past 100 years. The greater the magnitude and rate of temperature increase, the greater will be the adverse impacts.
  • Natural systems are the most vulnerable to climate change because of their sensitivity to climate and limited capacity to adapt. While some species may increase in abundance or range, climate change will increase the risk of extinction of already threatened or vulnerable species and increase the risk of biodiversity loss.
  • More frequent and more intense weather extremes are projected; hence, more severe impacts from these events are expected. And get ready for some major surprises.
  • Developing countries in general and poor communities in more developed countries are most vulnerable to climate change.
  • Adaptation, a necessary complement to mitigation efforts, can help reduce adverse impacts of climate change. But there will be costs, and we will not be able to prevent all damages.
  • We have win-win or lose-lose options before us -- which will we choose? Improving the management of natural resources and environmental risks while increasing the welfare of the poorest members of society can simultaneously advance sustainable development and equity and help people deal with the impacts of global warming.

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Main Messages from Working Group III (Mitigation)

  • Slowing climate change requires fundamental rethinking of our economic development strategies. We can turn onto low emissions development paths, but that requires major policy changes in areas other than climate change, and the rapid development of alternative energy sources. Many climate mitigation policies also promote sustainable development.
  • Many options are available to reduce GHG emissions. Technical progress on GHG-reducing technologies has been made at a "faster than anticipated" pace, such as with efficient hybrid vehicles and wind turbines, and the advancement of fuel cell technology.
  • Reducing GHG emissions can also be achieved by enhancing carbon sinks. Forests, agricultural lands, and other terrestrial ecosystems offer significant mitigation potential through protecting threatened forests, increased agricultural and forest sequestration activities, and displacing fossil fuels or energy intensive products with biological products such as biomass. If implemented appropriately, such activities can provide additional co-benefits, such as biodiversity and watershed protection, higher productivity of agricultural soils, and rural employment.
  • Emission reductions can be achieved at low to no costs and with high co-benefits. Some GHG emissions can be reduced at no net social cost or even at a benefit, especially those options that exploit no-regret opportunities (e.g. cleaner air, land stewardship, job creation, etc.).
  • Realizing GHG emissions reductions requires national and international coordination. National responses to climate change would be most effective if deployed as a portfolio of policy instruments, including technology or performance standards, energy mix requirements, voluntary agreements, support for research and development, tax or other incentives, government spending and investment decisions, and carbon or energy taxes. Moreover, internationally coordinated actions can help reduce mitigation costs, address competitiveness concerns, and avoid potential conflicts with international trade rules.

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Main Messages on the IPCC and TAR Credibility

  • The TAR is THE authoritative new benchmark of what we know about climate change science. It synthesizes what the global scientific community has learned in the past five years about our changing climate and its impacts on people and the environment.
  • The TAR is the most comprehensive and balanced assessment of the science of climate change, the factors involved in change, the already evident and potential future impacts of global warming, and what we can do about them.
  • The conclusions of the TAR represent an unprecedented consensus among hundreds of climate scientists from all over the world. The TAR was co-authored by more than 400 scientists and reviewed several times by approximately 2000 more.

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Main Messages on the United States

  • As one of the economically most powerful nations in the world and as the single greatest greenhouse gas emitter, the United States has a responsibility to begin reducing heat-trapping gases immediately. With the technology to reduce emissions at hand, this task is both feasible and affordable.
  • The United States is positioned to benefit tremendously from the development of new technologies to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. Numerous studies have shown that GHG emission reductions can be achieved at no or low cost, and that there is much to be gained by doing so.

    (For examples see UCS reports     "Drilling in Detroit" and "Clean Energy Blueprint".)

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For more information on the PowerPoint slides and how to effectively use them, click on any or all of the following links:

Last Revised: 05/23/05