Climate change warning: Billion people at risk of rising sea levels – UN

Mankind faces “sweeping and severe” consequences from rapidly warming oceans and melting ice-sheets, which could lead to sea level rises of three feet. The changes will threaten anyone living in coastal regions by 2100, said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change review. Warming oceans will also affect fish stocks and species such as penguins and walruses, the study said.

The report, put together by more than 100 experts based on 7,000 scientific studies, said “unprecedented” changes including “urgently” reducing greenhouse gas emissions could reduce the impact of man-made climate change. 

One of the report’s authors, Dr Jean-Pierre Gattuso, said: “The blue planet is in serious danger right now, suffering many insults from many different directions. And it’s our fault.” 

IPCC chairman Hoesung Lee said: “If we reduce emissions sharply, consequences for people and their livelihoods will still be challenging, but potentially more manageable for those who are most vulnerable.” The report was released as Arctic sea ice levels reached their second lowest figure on satellite record. 

Meanwhile, at the New York Climate Action Summit, the world’s biggest polluters failed to produce realistic plans to cut emissions. 

Last week, about four million campaigners took part in “climate strikes” worldwide in a bid to force world governments to take action. 

Earlier this week, TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough urged global leaders to unite to save the planet. 

He said: “It could not be more important and far-reaching. What we do in the next few years will determine the next few thousand years.” Climate change is blamed on the release of greenhouse gases from practices such as the burning of fossil fuels, livestock farming and the melting of Arctic permafrost, which can release huge amounts of methane. 

Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere so that it warms the planet. 

The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Ester Asin said: “The Arctic is melting at record speed, and so are our chances of fighting the climate crisis. 

“We must listen to the science, which tells us what the people are demanding – that we need a response from our leaders, and need it now.” 

COMMENT BY JOHN INGHAM

Doomsday warnings of the life-altering impacts of climate change come along with alarming regularity. 

To anyone who has lived through wars, terrorism and forecasts of flu pandemics, it is easy to be cynical. 

But yesterday’s UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on oceans and the world’s frozen places could not be more timely. Here in Britain, we’ve got used to hotter heatwaves, heavier rainfall and more intense storms. Surveys show that the vast majority of us are worried by climate change. 

But a poll for price comparison firm uSwitch found only a minority willing to pay for the changes needed. 

We wring our hands but don’t really want to change our ways. Some refuse to accept that climate change is taking place. 

They say the weather records are just a blip, another groundless scare story. They can’t see any evidence of rising sea levels. 

Just suppose all the thousands of research papers are wrong and what we are witnessing is a natural cycle that will one day dip down again. 

I’m afraid that is irrelevant. 

Whatever is going on, we need to pollute less and use the world’s resources more sparingly. A cleaner world will benefit us all. 

John Ingham is Environment Editor

source: express.co.uk