These representative key risks are expected to increase in the coming decades and will depend strongly not only on how much climate change occurs, but also on how the exposure and vulnerability of society changes, as well as on the extent to which adaptation efforts will be effective enough to substantially reduce the magnitude of severe risks. The report finds that risks are highest when high warming combines with development pathways with continued high levels of poverty and inequality, poor health systems, lack of capacity to invest in infrastructure, and other characteristics making societies highly vulnerable. Some regions already have high levels of exposure and vulnerability, such as in many developing countries as well as communities in small islands, Arctic areas and high mountains; in these regions, even low levels of warming will contribute to severe risks in the coming decades. Some risks in industrialised countries could also become severe over the course of this century, for example if climate change affects critical infrastructure such as transport hubs, power plants or financial centres. In some cases, such as coral reef environments and areas already severely affected by intense extreme events , climate risks are already considered severe.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report