Gina-Marie CheesemanValenica Climate Change Conference
November 22nd 2007 05:27
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met last week in Valenica, Spain with delegations from about 140 nations to draft a report that increases pressure on countries which omit the most greenhouse gases. The U.S. and China rank first and second respectively as the nations which omit the most greenhouse gases.
The IPCC, established in 1988 by the UN Environmental Program and the World Meteorological Organization, is the authority on climate change.
The IPCC has issued three reports in 2007, totaling about 2,500 pages. The reports detail warnings concerning global warming and policy options. Last week’s meeting synthesized the reports into a 70 page summary.
John Hay, spokesman for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said, “This report is the most scientifically convincing of any yet when it comes to the urgency of climate change… The report is an essential trigger for the launch of negotiations for a global climate agreement or set of agreements.”
“This is the most policy-relevant document the IPCC produces…It will be read by policy makers, governments, industry and other stakeholders ahead of Bali, which is an extremely critical meeting,” said panel chairman Rajendra Pachauri. He added, “Delegates in Bali will be able to discuss in concrete terms what kind of mitigation strategies to follow.”
Another climate change meeting will occur next month in Bali. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described it as an “opportunity to provide political answers to these scientific findings.” He added that the Bali Conference will “map out the agenda for these negotiations, as well as their time frame.”
During Ki-Moon’s address he highlighted some of the worst changes global warming is causing around the world. “In Antarctica…the continent’s glaciers are melting…In the Amazon…the rain forest…is being suffocated…In Punta Arenas, Chile…children wore protective clothing against ultraviolet radiation,” he said.
Summary Report’s Findings
The draft version of the IPCC’s summary report, released on November 16, found that eleven of the last twelve years ranked among the warmest years in the “instrumental record of the global surface temperature (since 1850).” The temperature increase occurred globally, and was greater at higher northern latitudes.
The sea level is rising, which is consistent with global warming. The global average sea level rose 1.8 mm per year since 1961, and 3.1 mm per year since 1993. The summary report acknowledged that it is unclear whether the faster rate for 1993 to 2003 is a “variation or an increase in the longer-term trend.”
Snow and ice has decreased globally, which is also consistent with global warming. Since 1978 satellite data revealed that Artic sea ice shrunk by 2.7 percent per decade. During the summer the ice shrunk more (by 7.4 percent). In both hemispheres mountain glaciers and snow decreased.
The IPCC, established in 1988 by the UN Environmental Program and the World Meteorological Organization, is the authority on climate change.
The IPCC has issued three reports in 2007, totaling about 2,500 pages. The reports detail warnings concerning global warming and policy options. Last week’s meeting synthesized the reports into a 70 page summary.
John Hay, spokesman for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said, “This report is the most scientifically convincing of any yet when it comes to the urgency of climate change… The report is an essential trigger for the launch of negotiations for a global climate agreement or set of agreements.”
“This is the most policy-relevant document the IPCC produces…It will be read by policy makers, governments, industry and other stakeholders ahead of Bali, which is an extremely critical meeting,” said panel chairman Rajendra Pachauri. He added, “Delegates in Bali will be able to discuss in concrete terms what kind of mitigation strategies to follow.”
Another climate change meeting will occur next month in Bali. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described it as an “opportunity to provide political answers to these scientific findings.” He added that the Bali Conference will “map out the agenda for these negotiations, as well as their time frame.”
During Ki-Moon’s address he highlighted some of the worst changes global warming is causing around the world. “In Antarctica…the continent’s glaciers are melting…In the Amazon…the rain forest…is being suffocated…In Punta Arenas, Chile…children wore protective clothing against ultraviolet radiation,” he said.
Summary Report’s Findings
The draft version of the IPCC’s summary report, released on November 16, found that eleven of the last twelve years ranked among the warmest years in the “instrumental record of the global surface temperature (since 1850).” The temperature increase occurred globally, and was greater at higher northern latitudes.
The sea level is rising, which is consistent with global warming. The global average sea level rose 1.8 mm per year since 1961, and 3.1 mm per year since 1993. The summary report acknowledged that it is unclear whether the faster rate for 1993 to 2003 is a “variation or an increase in the longer-term trend.”
Snow and ice has decreased globally, which is also consistent with global warming. Since 1978 satellite data revealed that Artic sea ice shrunk by 2.7 percent per decade. During the summer the ice shrunk more (by 7.4 percent). In both hemispheres mountain glaciers and snow decreased.
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