ABSTRACT
The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has substantially increased our understanding of the scientific aspects of climate change. Of particular relevance to the discussion in this chapter is the assessment that the AR5 provided on the impacts of climate change as they relate to specific sectors of the economy, and how, through adequate action involving adaptation as well and mitigation, risks to human beings and other species can be minimized. The AR5 found that human influence on the climate system is clear and that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems (IPCC, 2014a).
