
Climate change in the 21st century could bring on a global economic disaster akin to the Great Depression, warns a new report from the British government. The study concludes that it would cost less to take strong action against climate change than to react to changes as they unfold.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has long championed taking steps to combat climate change. He commissioned the latest report a year ago, after hosting the G8 summit of industrial leaders in Scotland. (...)
Most discussions of large-scale ecological change simply assume that the consequences will be harmful and that centralized government action is the best way to mitigate that harm. But change brings opportunity, and markets are masters of capitalizing on opportunity. Indeed, recent research suggests that free markets may help transform global climate change into a source of net benefits for humankind (Sohngen and Mendelsohn 1999).
Brent Sohngen and Robert Mendelsohn have woven together (...)
While food production may benefit from a warmer climate, the increased potential for droughts, floods and heat waves will pose challenges for farmers. Additionally, the enduring changes in climate, water supply and soil moisture could make it less feasible to continue crop production in certain regions.
The National Research Council (NRC, 2001) concluded:
In the near term, agriculture and forestry are likely to benefit from CO2 fertilization effects and the (...)
Given overwhelming and robust evidence, the scientific debate on global warming is now closed and it is time for action which will require going beyond science to policy and advocacy formulation. A major new report [more | more2 | more3] by chief British government and former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern finds that the benefits of determined worldwide steps to tackle climate change far outweigh the costs, and that failure to make these investments will lead to "economic (...)
Introduction
Since the end of the 1980s, when climate change was brought to the global political agenda, China has gone from generating a surplus of energy to becoming an importer of oil. The change is a symptom of a rapidly industrialising nation and comes hand-in-hand with many of the signs of a nation already suffering from the effects of climate change.
Recent figures show that China is the second most important emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world, after the United (...)
The question of climate change and its consequences is no mere supposition or flight of fantasy by wannabe scientists – it is a documented phenomenon, a hard scientific fact, supported by years of research by the scientific community’s most reputable bodies and it has far-reaching and very serious consequences for the future of humanity.
While it is easy for some to play down the hype, deriding the facts because implementation of measures would cost a lot, the fact remains that the situation (...)
Overview
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases have increased substantially since pre-industrial times, and are expected to continue their steep rate of increase if current emission patterns continue. The major human source of greenhouse gas emissions is burning fossil fuels. ERS research focuses on how changes in global climate may affect both U.S. and world agricultural production, and investigates those agricultural (...)
Prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change (April 2004)
By :
Dale W. Jorgenson, Harvard University
Richard J. Goettle, Northeastern University
Brian H. Hurd, New Mexico State University
Joel B. Smith, et al, Stratus Consulting, Inc.
Click here to read the report
Click here to read Appendix A
Click here to read Appendix B
Introduction
The Netherlands is becoming warmer as a result of climate change, and because of this various plant and animal species are invading the country from warmer, more southerly areas. Most of the new arrivals in the last century are from the south ; few species have arrived from the north.
In various species groups there are good examples of southern species that are increasing : the wasp spider, the oak processionary moth, the crimped gill fungus, and various lichen species. (...)
1. Introduction
For many alpine areas winter sports are the most important source of income, and snow-reliability is one of the key elements of the touristic offers. Skiing and snowboarding, but also snow related sports such as cross-country skiing or snow hiking depend on enough snow.
Mountain areas are sensitive to climate change. Implications of climate change can be seen, for example, in less snow, receding glaciers, melting permafrost and more extreme events like landslides. (...)
Summary of Conclusions
There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if we take
strong action now.
The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global
threat, and it demands an urgent global response.
This Review has assessed a wide range of evidence on the impacts of climate
change and on the economic costs, and has used a number of different techniques to (...)
Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years
Climate change refers to the variation in the Earth’s global climate or in regi