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UN reports Global Warming already hitting the environment hard |
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Written by Staff Writer
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Apr 06, 2007 at 02:24 PM |
A new report from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading body on climate change, has confirmed that climate change is occurring at previously predicted rates.
Also important, the body has stated that it will be the worlds poor in both the first and third world that will be hardest hit - due to the actions of the worlds richest.
"If a government doesn't react to this (report), it could be considered negligence," said Susanne Moser, a geographer at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and a contributing author to the document. "It's a fairly bleak picture."
North Americans can expect more heat waves in cities, flooding, and fiercer storms, as well as wildfires and pests in forests. The Southwest will get drier and those places such as the western United States that get drinking water from melting mountain snow will suffer shortages. One piece of good news is that crop yields could increase by as much as 20 percent in some places, largely because of longer growing seasons. More specific regional assessments will be released during the next two weeks.
The report's release was delayed for several hours in part because scientists clashed with U.S., Saudi Arabian and Chinese government officials over wording about the degree of certainty scientists have that global warming is already influencing physical and biological systems. All governments must sign off on the document and its release was preceded by five days of intense negotiations with officials from more than 100 countries.
Global economic losses could range from 1 to 5 per cent of the world's gross domestic product if temperatures climb 4 degrees Celsius during this century, the report projected.
Europe could lose up to 60 per cent of its plant and animal species by 2080 under a worse case scenario, and warming temperatures will also erode glaciers, snow cover and income from winter tourism, the report said.
'Climate change is expected to magnify regional differences in Europe's natural resources and assets,' the report said. 'The great majority of organisms and ecosystems will have difficulties adapting to climate change.'
In Central and Eastern Europe, summer precipitation will likely decrease and forest productivity will decline. Peatland fires will be on the increase, the report said.
In Southern Europe, already vulnerable to climate variability, water resources are expected to diminish. Summer tourism and crop productivity face losses, and health risks will increase.
Northern Europe stands to benefit from warmer temperatures in the beginning, saving energy on heating and enjoying increased crop yields and forest growth. But negative impacts 'are likely to outweigh its benefits' in the long run, the report said.
The IPCC report, the product of not only scientific input but also approval by 130 governments, pointed out that northern latitude countries in general - with strong infrastructures and warning systems - have more ability to adapt to climate changes than poorer countries.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur |
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Last Updated ( Apr 06, 2007 at 02:37 PM )
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