Moderator: The worst effects may be the ones we don't see

The UN climate summit begins today in Turkey. As usual, the event will be attended by politicians and other stakeholders, such as Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) and researchers from Swedish universities.

Expectations in the coming weeks are, for explanatory reasons, moderate. På förra mötet lyckades inte länderna komma överens om en färdplan för att överge fossila bränslen, trots betydande ansträngningar och trots att alla vet att de måste fasas ut.

This year, the focus is on energy transition, climate finance and adaptation, among other things. Money is expected to be one of the biggest conflict issues, with poorer countries that are hit hard wanting more support from the richer ones. And the meeting is the first since the UN recently ruled that the 1.5 degree target is out of reach.

Concretely, however, the warming is not only noticeable in the graphs of the researchers, but in the form of problems such as deadly heat waves, violent forest fires and gigantic floods. But the consequences don't end there, at what is easy to feel and see - and therefore often in focus.

There have been figures since before that the warmer it gets, the more men hit women.

Climate change also afflicts people in the second and third tier in a more indirect way. And if COP conferences have developed into discussion clubs rather than forums for sharp decisions, as some claim, these weeks are a good time to highlight the hidden effects.

The UN did so during a call in October before the meeting, which was smart. Just because many people ignore shrinking coral reefs and melting ice caps - and prefer to drive around in a petrol car - does not necessarily mean that the same people ignore other problems.

On the contrary, most people probably think it is worrying that intense heat contributes to complications in connection with pregnancies, which in the worst case can lead to stillbirth. There have been figures since before that the warmer it gets, the more men hit women. And during the October call, children's rights group Plan International warned that climate change is increasing the risk of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, as disasters such as droughts and floods affect the health and education services girls depend on.

It is this kind of human fate that global warming is really about. It is to prevent this and much else that the rising graphs must be taken seriously.

And that is why it is important that top politicians from around the world come together once a year to focus on the climate – even if the expectations of the discussion club are moderate.