The IPCC reports on mitigating climate change
May 4th, 2007,The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued its third report of the year, this one titled “Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change (Summary for Policymakers).” It mentions reduced driving and the use of “non-motorised transportation” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; it also makes reference to sustainable development and land use policies.
Andrew C. Revkin of the New York Times is one good journalist to read on the topic of climate change. See his article on this current IPCC report and his April 7 article on an earlier report. Here is what Revkin writes about the IPCC reports issued this year:
This is the third report this year from the climate panel, which was formed under the auspices of the United Nations in 1988 to brief nations periodically on risks from human and natural changes in climate and options for limiting dangers.
In February, one team of experts concluded with near certainty that most warming since 1950 has been driven by the rising concentrations in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
A second working group reported last month that the warming trend was already measurably shifting weather, water and ecological patterns, and that hundreds of millions of people faced risks by mid-century ranging from lost water supplies to inundated coasts should trends persist.
The April summary, “Climate Change 2007: Impact, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (Summary for Policymakers), as well as the current report are all part of what’s called the Fourth Assessment Report from the IPCC. See the Wikipedia article on the Fourth Assessment Report for a good overview.
What the vast majority of scientists have to say continues to capture the attention of the planet. And what they have to say isn’t good: global warming will affect the planet in a massive way. Low-lying areas will be inundated by rising sea levels, water resources will be negatively affected in many areas, and humanity will have to endure huge costs to adapt to this relatively rapid warming of the planet.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
[...] I was pleased that the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave its Peace Prize to the scientists of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore for their work on global warming. During the past year I’ve commented about the most recent IPCC reports (see posts on February 26, May 4, and May 11), which predict disastrous consequences if humanity does not take steps to mitigate global warming. Fortunately, we’re seeing more action on this issue every day. [...]