Catastrophic Climate Change Could Happen Within 50 Years

Catastrophic Climate Change Could Happen Within 50 Years

~ Global warming accelerates, underlining the importance for the world to reach an ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen, a new report from the British Met Office states ~

- Study says 4C rise in temperature could happen by 2060
- Increase could threaten water supply of half world population

If greenhouse gas emissions are not cut soon, we could see major climate changes within our lifetime, or five decades earlier than previously predicted, says a British Met Office study being presented today at a conference at Oxford University.

The report shows that an average global temperature rise of four degrees Celsius (7.2F), considered a dangerous tipping point, could happen by 2060 – but the warming up could be significantly higher (10 degrees or more) in some areas, causing droughts around the world, sea level rises and the collapse of important ecosystems, The Telegraph reports.

The Arctic could warm by up to 15.2 degrees Celsius for a high-emissions scenario, enhanced by melting of snow and ice causing more of the sun’s radiation to be absorbed.

Rainfall could decrease by 20 percent or more over Western and Southern Africa, Central America, the Mediterranean and parts of coastal Australia. In other areas, such as India, rainfall could increase by 20 percent or more, the report predicts.

”Together these impacts will have very large consequences for food security, water availability and health. However, it is possible to avoid these dangerous levels of temperature rise by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. If global emissions peak within the next decade and then decrease rapidly it may be possible to avoid at least half of the four degrees of warming,” says Dr Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts at the Met Office Hadley Centre.


for complete articles:

New study: Catastrophic climate change could happen within 50 years
2009-09-28
http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2216


Report from Met Office: Four degrees and beyond
2009-09-28
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange/news/latest/four-degrees.html


Met Office warns of catastrophic global warming in our lifetimes
2009-09-28
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/28/met-office-study-global-warming