UN warning over global ice loss Hundreds of millions of livelihoods will be affected by declining snow and ice cover as a result of global warming, a UN report has warned. The risks facing people included losing access to drinking water, and rising sea levels, the study concluded. The findings were published by the UN's Environment Programme (Unep). Unep chief Achim Steiner said the report showed that time was running out for political leaders to reach a global agreement on curbing emissions. Mr Steiner made his call for action at the launch of the UN Global Outlook for Ice and Snow report, which was being held in Tromso, Norway. Melting of snow and ice will in itself have severe consequences on nature and society Helen Bjoernoey, Norwegian Environment Minister "The report underlines that the fate of the world's snowy and icy places in a climatically challenged world should be cause for concern in every ministry, boardroom and living room across the world," he said. "The missing link is universal political action. Today's report should empower the public to take their leaders to task [and] should empower them to ask how much hotter it has to get before we act." 'Feedback' fears The study warns of a range of threats that could destabilise ecosystems around the world, with potentially devastating consequences for hundreds of millions of people. Melting glaciers in Asia's mountains could affect an estimated 40% of the world's population, who rely on ice melt for crop irrigation and drinking water. It added that rising temperatures were already resulting in the thawing of permafrost in places such as Siberia. This was leading to the release into the atmosphere of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The fate of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, which hold almost all of the planet's freshwater ice, needed to be better understood, the UN publication urged. It said that if emissions of greenhouse gases continued unabated, the massive ice sheets were likely to become unstable as the world continued to warm. Without taking measures to mitigate sea level rise, an estimated 145 million people, primarily in Asia, would be exposed to the risk of flooding. The UN said that the International Polar Year, a 24-month global scientific study of the polar regions, would help shed light on how climate change is altering the ice dynamics in these regions. The authors also warned that less ice and snow cover was leading to more of the Sun's energy being absorbed by the land and the sea, rather than being reflected back into space. They said this "positive feedback" could accelerate global warming and result in more abrupt shifts in the climate. Norway's Environment Minister, Helen Bjoernoey, said the comprehensive study into the state of the world's snow and ice presented a bleak prognosis. "To me, it is particularly alarming to realise climate change can be a reinforcing process - global warming results in further global warming," the minister observed. "As documented in the report, melting of snow and ice will in itself have severe consequences on nature and society." Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6713139.stm Published: 2007/06/04 09:57:53 GMT © BBC MMVII Can it be that the study is right? That Global Warming is already unstoppable? I hope so, no more over cold swedish winters, and you dont need to think about stoping global warming any more!
We've never been able to stop it. It;s a natural process of warming and cooling. Thinking we have power over it is insanity. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2575639,00.html
I also believe that it is more serious than most think it is. When I studied a bit into the subject a couple of years ago it was found that it takes about 15 years to stop global warming and only when all and everything available to humankind is done and implemented, until then it would still increase before a reverse effect can take place. Quite scarry
Nothing... I want global warming to happen. I live in Sweden. but of course nations like America and Indonesia.... we have gotten samples like new orleans, and the tsunami. but thats not my problem, long live global warming!
Yaaaay - Global Warming... Lofferly Hot Summers Great Snowy Winters Nottingham becomes a Seaside town, with all the associated boost to the tourism industry. Nobody (except deep-sea divers) EVER have to suffer a holiday in Skegness ever again. RESULT Meow Purr.
We where able to create a nuclear disaster at cheronbyl, we created the ozone hole, we pollute the air, poison rivers and seas...so I don't think, that this is insanity. And even if so, taking care of our nature is a good think! I doubt, that you want to live in a world like this ?
We didn't create the ozone hole. It's been happening for forever. It was -noticed- a few decades ago. That is all. There is a huge difference. And this is the point I make with global warming. We are looking at data (primarily) from the past 50 years or so. Much of it is inaccurate. You cannot get global trends from such a short period of time for things on this magnitude. The global warming bit is more about economic control than doing anything productive. Pollution is not global warming. Pollution is pollution. Please don't confuse the two.
I think it makes sense to strive for a better environment, and to cut down on waste and pollution. However, this is NOT relevant to global warming: the two are unrelated. Meow Purr.
Why doesn't the UN do something productive like worry about Iran's nukes? We are about to see a whole lot of global warming if they get nukes.
there is no proof we created the ozone hole...besides, we did away with CFC's many years ago...why is the hole still there? Why does it grow and shrink on its own? A: because its a natural phenomenon.
Cause they wont use them, it will be like Nort Korea, or when Libya got nukes. (look we have nukes!) Ahmadjinedad might use them, but thank god he has no poliical or military power. The ones that have it are to concerned about their castles in southern france, and their swizz bank accounts.
Cause we mst celebrate it, embrace it! in 20 years Sweden will be perfect for making wine, it will be like the mediterianian, the mediterainian will be like africa, africa will be like hell. I feel sorry for people in Florida and Japan e c that will die in milions.
Hope you still have your head to enjoy it! You think ppl will just die? No, they will fight, not against the weather, but your "paradise" so they can get a piece of it
The second coming of Christ is too late to stop... But for those of us that may believe that, there is nothing we can do about it... GC is not man made, therefore, man can have little impact either positively or negatively on its outcome. Seems to me we would have a better chance changing the direction of the Jet Stream using paper fans.
Wow, I don't think God would want us to not try and take care of the earth he created for us, just because of some notion that the second coming is right around the corner. If you're 100% sure when the second coming is going to happen, then you're not in accordance with what the the scripture teaches. It says that no one will know when it is going to happen. Matthew 24:36-44 (New International Version) Sounds more like an instruction to quit trying to predict when the second coming is, and just focus on being faithful. Nothing in there to say that "global warming is it and there's nothing we can do abou it". Also, many things that are not man made, we have harnessed and impacted tremendously. Why is Global Climate out of the question?
Nope. Take a look at the Kyoto protocol and how its failed miserably (there have been several stories in the past few weeks about this) and look at the concept of "carbon credits" and how it punishes 3rd world countries while favoring countries that are already established. Warming happens. Cooling happens. It's the trend of the planet. Everyone whines about carbon dioxide, but its a trailing indicator of climate change not a leading indicator of it. You can trace global temperature variations far more accurately to sunspot activity than to anything else.
When did I say we should not take care of the earth? I find it interesting how people are able to point out things I've never said... I must be posting subliminal messages again...