A United Nations study group concludes its landmark report on global warming with a grim warning: Climate change is real, it is getting worse, human activity is driving it and nations are warned to act now before dire consequences.
Scientists say drought, increased hunger and water shortages will hit the the poorest countries and note these factors are exacerbating war in Chad/Darfur, Somalia, Ethiopia and other nations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report concludes the poorest nations and "poor people in prosperous societies are going to be the worst hit. People who are poor are least able to adapt to climate change," says Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC.
The irony is that the nations who have contributed the most to climate change—the US, Europe, China—will suffer the least and those who have contributed least—Africa, South America—will suffer the most.
The final IPCC report is said to be "the clearest and most comprehensive" empirical statement on the impact of global warming, principally caused by anthropogenic (man-induced) carbon dioxide pollution.
One final note to global warming denialists: 2,000 of the world's top climate change experts say there is "little doubt" on the science, which is based upon 29,000 sets of data, much collected in the last five years. "For the first time we are not just arm-waving with models," says Martin Perry, one of the lead scientists on the IPCC.
The United States, China and Saudi Arabia reportedly raised most of the objections to the report's phrasing and some scientists say they were forced to "water down" some predictions.
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Some Background ....
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