The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change draft report says global
warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously
thought. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207L.shtml
The frequency of devastating storms will increase dramatically. Sea
levels will rise over the century by around half a metre; snow will
disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread;
oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and
atolls; and deadly heatwaves will become more prevalent.
And the cause is clear, say the authors: 'It is very likely that
[human-made] greenhouse gas increases caused most of the average
temperature increases since the mid-20th century,' says the report. The
report reflects climate scientists' growing fears that Earth is nearing
the stage when carbon dioxide rises will bring irreversible change to
the planet.
The IPCC report is the work of several thousand climate experts who have
widely differing views. Some think greenhouse gases will have a major
impact, while others do not. Only points that were considered
indisputable survived this process. This is a very conservative document
- that's what makes it so scary,' said one senior UK climate expert.