April 6 --
International climate change experts are highly confident that climate change will result in melting glaciers, enlarging glacier lakes, the warming of rivers and lakes in many regions of the world, and earlier arrival of spring, according to a report released April 6.
The specific impacts will vary by geographic region, but catastrophes including floods and droughts are expected to outweigh any benefits from warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. It is the second in a series of reports being released by the United Nations´ organized panel. The new report focused on climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.
In general, poor communities will be especially vulnerable because they lack the resources to adapt to changes, like the ability to construct sea walls or levees to hold off flooding.
"Many millions more people are projected to be flooded every year due to sea-level rise by the 2080s," according to the report. "The numbers affected will be largest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa, while small islands are especially vulnerable."
Areas already prone to hot temperatures and drought are likely to see conditions worsen, while some areas like northern North America could see temporary benefits from longer growing seasons. However, even in those areas, crop productivity would decrease after a 3°C temperature rise, according to the report.
The report also discusses risks to fresh water supplies and the possibility of insect-transmitted diseases spreading.
The report was released in Brussels following last-minute wrangling among the participating nations as to the exact wording of the document.
The full report is available online at www.ipcc.ch/SPM6avr07.pdf .
To subscribe or visit go to: http://www.wastenews.com