Climate Change is Now

Han tardado siete años pero los resultados de sus investigaciones resultan contundentes. Se trata del Panel Intergubernamental sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC). La acción humana ejerce consecuencias catastróficas sobre el clima. Se señala el efecto invernadero, el calentamiento de los mares, olas de calor, cambios en los niveles de lluvia tales que las regiones secas del planeta padecerán sequías interminables, mientras aquellas zonas húmedas recibirán lluvias torrenciales. Hasta hace unos años, cuando las organizaciones ecologistas daban la voz de alarma se solía ridiculizarlos, invocar que no habían datos fiables. Aquí están los mejores pronósticos científicos.

"The world's leading climate scientists, who have been meeting in all-night sessions this week in the Swedish capital, said there was no longer room for doubt that climate change was occurring, and the dominant cause has been human actions in pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

In their starkest warning yet, following nearly seven years of new research on the climate, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said it was "unequivocal" and that even if the world begins to moderate greenhouse gas emissions, warming is likely to cross the critical threshold of 2C by the end of this century. That would have serious consequences, including sea level rises, heatwaves and changes to rainfall meaning dry regions get less and already wet areas receive more.

Other key points from the report are:

• Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are now at levels "unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years."

• Since the 1950's it's "extremely likely" that human activities have been the dominant cause of the temperature rise.

• Concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased to levels that are unprecedented in at least 800,000 years. The burning of fossil fuels is the main reason behind a 40% increase in C02 concentrations since the industrial revolution.

• Global temperatures are likely to rise by 0.3C to 4.8C, by the end of the century depending on how much governments control carbon emissions.

• Sea levels are expected to rise a further 26-82cm by the end of the century.(Con enlaces de The Guardian")

• The oceans have acidified as they have absorbed about a third of the carbon dioxide emitted".