Global warming a reality we are responsible for: UN

Global warming a reality and we are responsible for it: UN panelWell-known climate scientists said on Friday they were “more certain than ever before” that humans have been the main cause of the “unequivocal” global warming recorded in the past 60 years, and warned the impact of greenhouse gas emissions would linger for centuries.

The landmark report, likely to rekindle debate over the fossil fuels powering the world’s economies, played down the fact temperatures have risen more slowly in the past 15 years, saying there were substantial natural variations that masked a long-term warming trend.

“It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20th century,” says the summary issued Friday. This means a probability of at least 95%, up from 90% estimated in 2007 and 66% in 2001.

But scientists who challenge the notion of man-made climate change insist that the fact that temperatures have risen more slowly recently, despite rising greenhouse gas emissions, must mean something.Global warming is a reality and we are responsible for it: UN

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) insisted the warming trend is undeniable and alerted that if industrial greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, they are likely to increase global warming levels. This, in turn, will lead to changes in global sea levels, ice cover and other aspects of the climate already shifting in ways not seen for thousands of years.

The document is the result of four years of research by 259 scientists from 39 countries and it is part of the first comprehensive assessment in six years by the panel. The group was set up 25 years ago to give governments reliable information about climate change.

Images by f9photos/shutterstock.com and asharkyu

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