Tropical island paradises and glistening Alpine skiing retreats may be lost to future generations, while melting ice caps in polar regions may unleash climatic changes that will continue for centuries, according to a UN report released yesterday.
The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said poor countries would bear the brunt of devastating changes as a result of global warming. But it warned that the rich wouldn't be immune, with Florida and parts of the American Atlantic coast likely to be lashed by storms and rising sea levels.
"Projected climate changes during the 21st century have the potential to lead to future large-scale and possible irreversible changes in Earth systems," said the report. It said this would have "continental and global" consequences.
The report was a summary of 1,000 pages of research into Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, conducted by some 700 scientists. Given the political sensitivities of the climate debate, the 19-page summary was subject to line-by-line scrutiny by government representatives during weeklong discussions prior to release.
The final message was frightening, saying the effects of man-made climatic change will lead to:
? more "freak" weather conditions like cyclones, floods and droughts;
? massive displacement of populations in the worst-affected areas;
? potentially enormous loss of life;
? greater risk from diseases such as malaria as the mosquito widens its reach;
? extinction of entire species as their habitats are wiped out.
The report said global economic losses from so-called natural catastrophes increased from about US$4 billion per year in the 1950s to US$40 billion in 1999. Total costs were in reality twice as high, taking into account smaller weather-related events, it said.
The Geneva report followed one released last month in Shanghai by the international climate change panel.
That predicted that global temperatures could rise by as much as 5.8 degrees Celsius over the next century.
It said the increase was much higher than expected and there was clear evidence that industrial pollution, including emissions from cars, was to blame.
The third volume, on solutions, will be released in March. But effective international action remains elusive, not least because of the reluctance of the US to commit itself to firm targets to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere, and the push in developing countries like China toward economic progress.
Scientists have for years warned about the impact of global warming.
What is significant about the new reports, however, is the degree of precision about the extent and impact of climatic change.
Taiwan yesterday said it was looking forward to attending an upcoming memorial in Japan to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, a day after the Japanese city said it had retracted its previous decision to not invite Taiwan to the event. The case has been dealt with by Taiwan’s representative office in Fukuoka and the Nagasaki City Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The ministry would decide who to send to the Aug. 9 event once it receives the invitation, it added. The ministry made the remarks following a Japanese media report on Saturday that said Nagasaki Mayor
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