Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

A need for actionable climate projections across the Global South

Inconsistent climate projections for much of the Global South from six generations of IPCC assessments have compounded the many challenges it faces in adapting to climate change. Here, we propose using emerging technologies and strengthening international collaborations to address these challenges.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Spatial distribution of projected changes in precipitation and surface air temperature.

References

  1. Slingo, D. J. et al. Nat. Clim. Change 12, 499–503 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kendon, E. J., Prein, A. F., Senior, C. A. & Stirling, A. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A 379, 20190547 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Destination Earth https://go.nature.com/3qdY8de (European Commission, accessed 5 April 2023).

  4. Marzin, C. et al. Singapore’s Second National Climate Change Study – Climate Projections to 2100 Science Report (Met Office UK, Centre for Climate Research Singapore, National Oceanography Centre UK, CSIRO Australia & Newcastle University UK, 2015); https://go.nature.com/3Yf1Yzn

  5. Rasp, S., Pritchard, M. S. & Gentine, P. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 9684–9689 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ribes, A., Qasmi, S. & Gillett, N. P. Sci. Adv. 7, eabc0671 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Knutti, R. et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. 44, 1909–1918 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Climate Change and India: A 4x4 Assessment – A Sectoral and Regional Analysis for 2030s Vol. 2 (Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, 2010).

  9. Krishnan, R. et al. (eds) Assessment of Climate Change Over the Indian Region: A Report of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India (Springer Nature, 2020).

  10. Wuebbles, D. J. et al. Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) Vol. I (US Global Change Research Program, 2017).

  11. Ghosh, A. et al. Stockholm+50: Unlocking a Better Future (Stockholm Environment Institute, and Council on Energy, Environment and Water, 2022).

  12. Cubasch, U. et al. in Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis (eds Houghton, J. T. et al.) Ch. 9, 525–582 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001).

  13. Lee, J.-Y. et al. in Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (eds Masson-Delmotte, V. et al.) Ch. 4, 553–672 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2021).

  14. Houghton, J. T., Jenkins, G. J. & Ephraums, J. J. Climate Change: The IPCC Scientific Assessment (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1990).

  15. Kattenberg, A. et al. in Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change (eds Houghton, J. T. et al.) Ch. 6, 285–357 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1996).

  16. Christensen, J. H. et al. in Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis (eds Solomon, S. et al.) Ch. 11, 847–940 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007).

  17. IPCC: Summary for Policymakers. In Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis (eds Stocker, F. T. et al.) 3–29 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2013).

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the United Nations and its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for advancing the knowledge of climate change. The research is partly supported by the DST Centre of Excellence in Climate Modeling at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and YES Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

S.K.M. and P.U. conceived the study and designed it with input from J.T.F. All authors contributed to the analyses and writing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saroj K. Mishra.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mishra, S.K., Upadhyaya, P., Fasullo, J.T. et al. A need for actionable climate projections across the Global South. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 883–886 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01778-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01778-2

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing