Gland, Switzerland - For the first time, governments have accepted the stunning scale of climate change impacts and stated with "high confidence" that recent changes in the world's climate have had "discernible" impacts on physical and biological systems. WWF, the conservation organization believes that they must now take the logical next step and respond by urgently finalizing the Kyoto Protocol and adopting tougher measures to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas.
Over a hundred governments represented on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), concluded a meeting in Geneva by accepting a report which states that climate change is already having a "widespread and coherent impact" on the planet, and that it is occurring in all environments and on all continents. Representing humanity's combined knowledge on the impacts of climate change, and based on observations in around 3,000 scientific studies, the 1000-page scientific report puts an end to debate over whether climate change is occurring and finds that the results could be dramatic and far reaching. WWF urged governments to use the G8 Environment Ministers meeting that was held in Trieste, Italy in March 2001 to take on board the results of the IPCC's work.
According to the IPCC, firm evidence of change is already visible over 420 different physical and biological systems - from the shrinkage of glaciers on all continents and the decline in Arctic sea-ice to the lengthening of frost-free seasons and the increased frequency of extreme rainfall. Already species of mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and insects are being affected. The report also states with greater confidence than ever before that "expected changes in climate extremes would have major consequences" and includes a table of representative examples.
The report says that coral reefs in most regions could be wiped out within 30-50 years by warming oceans as temperatures reach levels at which coral bleaching becomes an annual event. Three-quarters of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, in India and Bangladesh, could be inundated by a sea-level rise of 45 cm (18 inches) putting the Bengal tiger at risk of extinction. The Cape Floral Kingdom, in South Africa, which is exceptionally rich in species that occur nowhere else, could be wiped out as a result of temperature changes expected this century. Also under threat is the polar ice edge ecosystem that provides habitat for polar bears, walrus, seals and penguins. Other species under threat from climate change are forest birds in Tanzania, the mountain gorilla in Africa, the spectacled bear of the Andes, and the resplendent quetzal in Central America.
The report shows that the worst impacts will hit developing countries, which have the least capacity to adapt. Africa is "highly vulnerable" to climate change affecting water resources, food production, the expansion of deserts and causing more frequent outbreaks of diseases of cholera. The report lists a string of small island states in the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Caribbean, threatened by climate change and where unique cultural and conservation sites have already been destroyed. Glaciers in tropical regions such as the Himalayas are particularly threatened by climate change according to the IPCC. Himalayan glaciers are the major source of water for the rivers Ganges and Indus on which 500 million people, just under one-tenth of the world's population, depend.
Industrialized nations can also expect significant impacts. The United States, Canada and Australia could well see an expansion in diseases such as malaria, tick-borne Lyme disease, Ross River virus and Murray Valley encephalitis respectively. Many regions of the world will experience heat waves that will compound the effects on health in polluted cities. Much of Europe will have to endure increased hazards of floods.
In January 2001, governments accepted an IPCC report on climate science that contained the first internationally-agreed acknowledgement of the human footprint on global climate. The report said, "most of the warming trend over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities."
"This IPCC report on climate science identified the smoking gun," said Jennifer Morgan, and "We're seeing what's in the firing line. It's time for governments such as the United States to get serious about reducing their carbon dioxide emissions."
Source of information: Press Release by WWF- Monday 19 February 2001.
For more information:
- Kyla Evans, Head of Press, WWF International
Tel +41 22 364 9550
- Andrew Kerr, Public Affairs Manager, WWF Climate Change Campaign
Tel: 31 6 5161 9462 (mobile)
- Jennifer Morgan, Director, WWF Climate Change Campaign
Tel: +1 202 359 2734 (mobile)
