Report reinforces human role in acceleration of climate change
James Kerr
21st July 2009
A new report adds weight to the argument that human activity is the primary cause of rising temperatures, and that climate change impacts are accelerating.
'Climate Science 2008: Major New Discoveries', published by the World Resources Institute, claims that more than 28,000 plant and animal species have altered behaviour as a result of climatic change.
The report goes on to highlight the rate of growth of global carbon dioxide emissions between 2000 and 2007, which was four times that of the previous decade, and that from 1996 to 2006, the rate of ice mass loss of Antarctica increased by 75 per cent. The rate of melting and thinning of 30 glaciers across nine mountain
ranges around the world, meanwhile, doubled between 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
The report says that if atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations reach 700 parts per million by 2100, daily maximum temperatures are projected to rise to 104 ºF in the U.S. Midwest and Southern Europe and exceed 122 ºF in Australia, India, the Middle East and parts of Africa.
Sea ice loss in the Arctic could have the potential to warm ground up to 930 miles inland, threatening to trigger ‘rapid degradation’ of permafrost, while tropical ocean ‘dead zones’ are likely to increase by 50 per cent by 2100 if carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated.
Kelly Levin, associate at the World Resources Institute and co-author of the report, warns that these trends may seem less surprising because of the sheer number of global warming stories that appear in the press. But she claims that repeated reconfirmation of the trends that are highlighted in the report shows the need for rapid and substantial greenhouse gas reduction worldwide.
The report outlines positive choices that can be made, particularly in industry, to attempt to slow the accelerating rate of climate change, for example by harnessing current developments in renewables sectors such as solar, thermoelectric, biofuels, wave energy, batteries and ultracapacitors, and carbon capture.
Finally, the report highlights a number of new technologies that may help to mitigate emissions, for example a method of capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air that is under development, and a new non-toxic, inexpensive technology for storing solar energy, with potential applications for generating hydrogen power.
