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'Global action' needed as IPCC report issues stark climate warning
Nov 17, 2007, 12:44 GMT
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon (C), delivers a speech as UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)\'s Chairman, Rajendra Pachauri (L), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)\'s Executive Director, Achim Steiner (R), look on during a press conference of 27th Session of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 17 November 2007 at Prince Felipe Museum, in Valencia, eastern Spain. EPA/Kai Foersterling
Valencia, Spain - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said 'global sweeping concerted action' was now needed on climate change, as the final 'synthesis' report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was released Saturday.
The worst-case scenario envisaged by the report was as frightening as a science fiction film, Ban said.
The 20-page document by a UN-backed panel of scientists issues the strongest warnings yet on climate change.
The UN Secretary General praised the report which he said 'answered many of our questions on climate change.'
He said that the international community would now have to 'transform' its way of doing things in order to save the 'treasure of our planet.'
The final 'synthesis' report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is essentially a summary of three reports compiled by more than 2,000 scientists and issued by the IPCC earlier this year. The final report will be released in Valencia, Spain on Saturday by
Governments haggled for five days over the wording of this final IPCC document, which environmentalists say will serve as a manual on how to tackle global warming and set the tone for a crucial UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia next month.
The new report makes clear that global warming is a man-made phenomenon and is already taking place. It warns of catastrophic and unavoidable consequences if the atmosphere warms by more than 2 degrees Celsius. Global temperatures have already risen about 0.7 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years.
To prevent that, the level of carbon dioxide in the world's atmosphere must start dropping by 2020. By 2050, global emissions must be 50 to 65 per cent below 2000 levels. The IPCC already says global warming cannot be stopped, only slowed.
Some of the newer elements of the report include one combined graphic that at a glance lays out specifically what levels of greenhouse gases lead to what rises in temperatures - and what consequences each temperature rise could have on society.
Possible threats include flooding, droughts, the loss of coastlines and thousands of animal and plant species, as well as more infectious diseases and the destruction of coral reefs.
The IPCC was last month awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with former US vice president Al Gore, for raising awareness of the threat of climate change.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
No - non-scientists, scientists in un-related fields, and government/commercial interest scientist are coming out with reservations. Wonder why - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4
...even IPCC contributors one of them a co-recipient of Gore's peace prize, is dissenting from this mess. China, Italy and other nations are pulling out.
The scientific method has no place for consensus.
There is no such thing as man made global warming.
There is very little doubt that Co2 in the atmosphere causes it to warm. I think the chances that nations will cut down their emissions are zero and the only glimmer of hope for the human race is that oil production seems to have hit it's limit and is expected to decline rapidly in the next few years.
Well Civilizations have come and gone in the past. We are under the auspices of our Earth. I think the DEVELOPED WORLD tho, are consuming too much energy per capita (per person) and we polute from it. But many other countries WANT to become DEVELOPED? Damn fools (except for many indigenous peoples, guess they got the wright idea). Jeese... loads to talk about...
The lack of knowledge and historical perspective on here and by the political IPCC is astounding. Same narrow minded repetitive rhetoric, ashame that the have no respect due to politic pandering. and by the way Ed, you are wrong, there is no concensus on man (man) affected waring.
In waterboarding you live, Abortion you die.Is gitmo worse than being killed on the battle field?...Exactly
To the people who still think it is the sun getting warmer -
Most studies suggest that before the industrial age, there was a good correlation between natural “forcings' – solar fluctuations and other factors such as the dust ejected by volcanoes – and average global temperatures. Solar forcing may have been largely responsible for warming in the late 19th and early 20th century, levelling off during the mid-century cooling (see Global temperatures fell between 1940 and 1980).
The 2007 IPCC report halved the maximum likely influence of solar forcing on warming over the past 250 years from 40% to 20%. This was based on a reanalysis of the likely changes in solar forcing since the 17th century.
But even if solar forcing in the past was more important than this estimate suggests, as some scientists think, there is no correlation between solar activity and the strong warming during the past 40 years. Claims that this is the case have not stood up to scrutiny.
Direct measurements of solar output since 1978 show a steady rise and fall over the 11-year sunspot cycle, BUT NO UPWARD OR DOWNWARD TREND.
Similarly, there is no trend in direct measurements of the Sun's ultraviolet output and in cosmic rays. So for the period for which we have direct, reliable records, the Earth has warmed dramatically even though there has been no corresponding rise in any kind of solar activity
Right the sun doesnt effect warming...Intelligent...thanks...Pete I mean Tonni,WIll?
I guess any knowledge of facts is not necessary to climate sceptics .They are allergic to science and the mentioning of the name Al Gore is enough to make them jump through the roof.SP4 is a fine specimen of that sort .One climatologists pulling out of the IPCC is enough to discredit the 1999 remaining ones for him.That pretty much summarizes his intelligennce and ability to discuss facts .Found any WMD in Iraq beyond the 500 one you previously found?Poor sod ...
To - ED? - it really would be better if you hid your ignorance, rather than trying to make clever comments with crass remarks. You just display yourself as stupid
I actually had dinner with two climate scientists Friday night.
They are going, next year, on an international expedition to the Antarctic, to drill holes in the ice, do seismic readings and radar map the continent with RPV'S.
Needless to say, I asked these two, professional scientists, who specialize in geo-science and weather related phenomena, about global warming.
Their reply: 'No one really knows. That's why we are studying it. In fact, the only folks who we can find who are really pimping the idea are either politicians, or scientists in related or unrelated fields, not specifically trained in any discipline directly related to the phenomena. Most of our colleagues won't risk their reputations on the sketchy evidence that has been produced to date. We're going to map the earth under Antarctic, then map the ice cap, so we can begin to actually measure something substantive. Even then, it's a snap shot, and the data will take years to sort out. It's almost like taking a black and white picture of the ocean from space, and then trying to count fish in it.'
This, along with John R. Christy, Director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama, co-recipient of the Nobel prize, who has serious doubts on the conclusions written by non-scientists.
Tonny, you are nothing more than a tent-style evangelist.Paahraiiise Jeeesusah!
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SP4: Even thoughNov 17th, 2007 - 15:11:21
...climate scientists are coming out with real reservations about c02 driven climate change.
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