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INSTANT VIEW-U.N. panel says global warming man-made

02 Feb 2007 09:42:51 GMT
Source: Reuters

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.N. climate panel issued its strongest warning yet on Friday that human activities are heating the planet and could lead to more droughts, stronger storms and rising seas by 2100.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said it was "very likely" that human activities were the main cause of warming in the past 50 years, or a 90 percent probability.

That was up from a "likely" link seen in a last report in 2001, or a 66 percent probability.

Following are reactions to the report:

BRITISH ENVIRONMENT MINISTER DAVID MILIBAND

"It is another nail in the coffin of the climate change deniers and represents the most authoritative picture to date, showing that the debate over the science of climate change is well and truly over.

"What's now urgently needed is the international political commitment to take action to avoid dangerous climate change. This has been absent so far. If we are to succeed, we will require the engagement not just of environmental ministers but heads of state, prime ministers and finance ministers."

GEORGIY GOLITSYN, CHAIR OF THE CLIMATE COUNCIL AT THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES "The main thing is that it (the report) repeats and reiterates the influence of human activity on climate change, which is already happening. This Russian winter hasn't been a winter at all because of climate change."

SHARAD JOSHI, INDIAN FARM LEADER AND PARLIAMENT DEPUTY

"I do not share the views of the U.N. climate panel as it tends to create a scare. It is just a climatic cycle. The cycle of rising temperatures, I believe, will be followed by a cycle of falling mercury.

"It is just a ploy of the developed world to create a scare and prevent developing countries to embark on rapid industrialisation.

SOUTH AFRICA'S MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND TOURISM, MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK:

"The clock is ticking and time is running out for us to avoid major climate change with the real and serious threats to our economies and peoples' livelihoods.

SHRUTI SHUKLA, CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME OFFICER FROM WWF INDIA.

"I do think it will make a difference and help countries develop cleaner policies."

"There is overwhelming evidence that our activities are responsible for climate change and we have lost a lot of the sceptics as more evidence comes through."

ACHIM STEINER, HEAD OF THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

(The new report) "gives us a stark warning that the potential impact will be more dramatic, faster and more drastic in terms of consequences" than previously thought.

"This will change in some parts of the world the fundamental way in which we live."

ANDREW WALKER, AUSTRALIAN GRAINS BROKER, FOX COMMODITIES:

"Farmers are probably more concerned if its going to rain next week. Isn't climate change the flavour of the month? There's a whole industry out there talking about climate change.

"Plant breeders and the like have developed varieties of wheat, barley, sorghum, cotton, soybeans, you name it, that are using less and less water. Farmers are confident that things will evolve over time.

"OK maybe we will have hotter temperatures and less rainfall in 100 years' time, but if you look at the variety of crops they're growing today versus 100 years ago, they've adapted crops to suit today's conditions. I dare say they'll adapt them to suit conditions in 100 years' time."

INDONESIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER RAHMAT WITOELAR:

"We should decrease CO2 emissions drastically by reducing pollution in cities and enforcing environment-friendly biofuel."

"Ageing buses should not run. Factories should follow emission policies. We will sue those who violate the policies. It can take some time since there are a lot of factories. The penalty is the closure of factories."

"Rain forest should never be cut down at all. A major plantation that wishes to clear up a hectare of fields should plant two hectare within 2 years. This effort will eventually bring back our forests."

AINUN NISHAT, COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE OF INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE IN BANGLADESH (IUCN)

"Bangladesh will be one of the countries that would be the most seriously affected by global warming and sea rise."

"The impacts on Bangladesh would include increased level of drought, flooding and storms, especially in coastal belts, salinity and loss of land," he said.

"Millions of Bangladeshis will lose their land and homes, adding to the south Asian's country's plight of poverty and over-crowding.

HANS JOACHIM SCHELLNHUBER, DIRECTOR OF THE POTSDAM INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE IMPACT RESEARCH, GERMANY

"With this report, any last doubts should be dispelled that humans are 'over-turning the climate screw'. Hence, we have a responsibility to correct this dangerous development by drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

SHARON HAYS, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY, HEAD OF U.S. IPCC DELEGATION

"This report is a comprehensive and accurate reflection of the current state of climate change science." President George W. Bush "has put in place a comprehensive set of policies to address what he has called the 'serious challenge' of climate change....the current set of policies are working."

STEPHANIE TUNMORE, GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE AND ENERGY CAMPAIGNER

"There is a clear message to governments here, and the window for action is narrowing fast. If the last IPCC report was a wake-up call, this one is a screaming siren."

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Last updated:Fri Feb 2 09:43:39 2007