Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, delivers a speech at the end of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Brussels, April 6, 2007. (Xinhua Photo/Xu Jinquan)

    BEIJING, April 7 -- Scientists first identified human behaviour as the cause of global warming.

    Now they are offering stark warnings for the future.

    Scientists and officials from more than 100 countries yesterday approved the second part of the climate change report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

    A better picture of the impact of climate change is gradually appearing. Scientists warned that major climate disruptions will happen in the coming decades, with glaciers melting, the Arctic ice cap shrinking, the oceans heating up and sea levels rising.

    There is wide agreement now that the impacts will be diverse, with winners and losers. Some effects may be positive in some regions, such as in parts of North America and northern Europe as a result of longer growing seasons and milder winters.

    For the majority of people, however, the consequences of climate change will be negative. For some regions, they could be disastrous.

    Climate change poses risks to all of us, but by far the largest risks to poor countries. Within 25 years, hunger and death from diarrhea will threaten poor countries where crops fail and water becomes increasingly scarce.

    The IPCC document is supposed to serve as a guideline for governments to shape policies.

    Action is needed to mitigate the worst impacts of global warming, such as water shortages for billions of people or the extinction of almost half of Amazonian tree species.

    The details of the localized effects of global warming are not yet available. But scientists have predicted with certainty that man-made global warming over the past three decades has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems. The effects of this situation may be catastrophic and irreversible.

    The impacts of global warming threaten nearly every aspect of society. Many physical effects, such as rising sea levels, effects on agriculture and forests, and impacts on human health, will translate into huge economic costs. The loss of life, the extinction of species, the destruction of ecosystems and numerous other effects will place additional burdens on our and our children's quality of life.

    We need a sense of urgency as well as recognition of the long-term nature of both the climate change and its ultimate solutions.

    It is time to try to figure out how best to adapt to climate change in the years and decades ahead.

    (Source: China Daily)

Related:

UN report paints chilly picture of global warming

    BRUSSELS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- While the planet is getting warmer from climate change, a UN report released Friday could only make people feel chilly with its findings on the impacts of global warming.

    Experts and government delegates from more than 120 countries hammered out their latest report on climate change Friday after five-day discussions held here. Full story