Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The scientific evidence for early action on climate change

source: UK Met Office
"The latest climate model projections from the Met Office Hadley Centre show clearly that failures to understand the scientific evidence could have worrying and significant consequences for the world’s climate. Even with large and early cuts in emissions, these projections indicate that temperatures are likely to rise to around 2 *C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. If action is delayed or is slow, then there is a significant risk of much larger increases in temperature. The uncertainties in the science mean that even if the most likely temperature rise is kept within reasonable limits, we cannot rule out the possibility of much larger increases. Adaptation strategies are, therefore, needed to deal with these less likely, but still real, possibilities…."