The Experts Concur on Global Warming

Global warming is a hot topic and there’s much debate as to it’s cause and effect as well as any potential solutions. There is even some debate as to whether or not there really is an issue of global warming. In 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) consulted more than 2,500 scientists world wide and it’s reports were endosed by 130 nations. Their report on global warming was six years in the making. There is now a global consensus of scientific opionion addressing the key questions to global warming. Global warming is very real.

The Cause

The February 2007 report published by the IPCC states that global warming is real, without any doubt. What’s more, the report states with 90 percent certainty that human activity is the primary cause for global warming. Humans are responsible for the rising temperature of the planet Earth since 1950.

“It is now clear that we are to blame for the last 50 years of warming, and this is already causing adverse changes to our planet,” said Catherine Pearce, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth International. “Unless we take action to reduce emissions now, far worse is yet to come, condemning millions in the poorest parts of the world to loss of lives, livelihoods and homes. Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a looming humanitarian catastrophe, threatening ultimately our global security and survivial”

The Effects

The effects of global warming are everywhere. Heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts can be attributed to global warming. As a result of these extreme changes to earth’s climate, in the future, global warming will also lead to deaths from malnutrition, disease that cause diarrhea, and diseases carried by insects and rodents.

The global average temperature has increased approximately 0.74 degrees Celsius since the time of the Industrial Revolution. This places approximately 20-30 percent of plant and animal species at risk of extinction.

As global warming increases, millions of people living in coastal areas will be at risk of flooding as the sea level rises. This is in addition to the hurricanes and tropical storms they will experience.

If climate change continues as projected, it will most likely affect millions of people who are already vulnerable. High concentrations of ground level ozone will result in more cardio-respiratory diseases.

Although the poor of the world will be most adversely affected, global warming will impact everyone on the planet. No one will remain impervious to the affects of global warming as it touches the lives of each and every one of us.

The Solution

Much of the debate over global warming is in finding a solution. Some argue that global warming is unstoppable. In May 2007, however, the IPCC released a report which states controlling global warming is an acheivable goal. It details the cost of controlling greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and how that cost could be partially offset by economic gains and benefits. More importantly, it stresses that we can avoid the most serious effects of global warming. The bottom line, and the consensus of the scientists involved, is that if we continue doing what we are doing we are in deep trouble. Although controlling global warming may require large financial investments, the nations of the world have no choice but to take immediate action. Global warming can, and must, be reduced over the next few decades.