by Mike S
(Sydney)
The CSIRO report that came out in Nov 2007, supports the idea that climate is changing faster than is being predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
This latest science continues to highlight the need for swift action to match the degree of urgency expressed in these scientific reports.
The chance of more rapid changes, brought on by the collapse of ice sheets or breakdown of natural systems, is greater. The report shows:
EMISSIONS growth is accelerating – the carbon dioxide concentration is now more than 382 parts per million, with other greenhouse gases combining to create a CO2 equivalent level of about 455 ppm.
GLOBAL warming has been getting faster.
ARCTIC sea ice is retreating faster than any of the IPCC climate models suggest. A new summer minimum was set this year, 30 years ahead of forecasts.
ANTARCTIC warming is most rapid and glaciers on the peninsula are retreating.
RISES in sea levels may have been underestimated. Observations show the level is rising higher than the IPCC best estimate. The IPCC also assumed negligible contribution from Greenland and West Antarctica. This probably is incorrect.