Climate change impacts on nature

worse than thought



Source: Copyright 2004, WWF
Date: December 14, 2004
Original post: CLICK

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The impacts of climate change on wildlife and nature are worse than scientists had previously feared, according to a new report commissioned by WWF.

The report - Extreme Weather, does nature keep up? - reveals that nature is struggling against the impacts of extreme weather and that many species and ecosystems will die out, as their natural responses to global warming will be inadequate.

The report goes one step further than previous studies by analyzing the impact of increased extreme weather events on nature. The combination of an increase in temperature and increased variability of severe weather events place species and ecosystems at an even greater risk than feared.

Since 1900 the world＇s average temperature has risen by 0.7 degrees Celsius. The report reveals that the natural world＇s response to this increase have been more dramatic and widespread than predicted.

It shows that the effect of climate change is now visible in every part of the world and in every ecosystem - plants are flowering earlier than they have for the last two hundred years; increased droughts have led to more forest fires; and glaciers are retreating.

Some species such as amphibians have dramatically declined while others like the Mountain pine beetle in North America have increased, causing widespread damage. The disappearance of sea ice in Antarctica has led to a decline in numbers of Adelie penguins and the earlier break up of sea ice has meant polar bears have not been able to build up adequate fat stores for the winter fast.

"This report shows that climate change is already hitting wildlife and nature hard and this will only get worse if climate change goes unchecked," said Jennifer Morgan, Director of WWF＇s Global Climate Change Programme.

"WWF urges ministers arriving in Buenos Aires for the UNFCCC Conference of Parties to bring significant proposals for deep cuts in CO2. Time is running out for nature and wildlife around the world."

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recommended a ceiling for global temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius. The report＇s authors now recommend this rise be kept to 1.5 degrees - underlining the long-held position by the EU and WWF that temperature rises must be kept well below 2 degrees Celsius and that deep cuts in CO2 emissions should be made around the world to achieve this.

"Our report shows for the first time that it is the weather extremes that determine how nature experiences climate change and not just the average temperature increases," said Arnold Van Vliet, the author of the report.

"This means that the natural world changes more quickly than previously predicted and makes defining emission reduction targets more pressing than ever."

Notes:
* Prof Dr Rik Leemans leads the Environmental Systems Analysis group of Wageningen University. He was one of the lead authors within all IPCC assessments reports. Arnold van Vliet is a biologist at the Environmental Systems Analysis group at Wageningen University and at the Foundation for Sustainable Development.

For Additional Information:
(may become dated as article ages)



Claire Doole, Head of Press
WWF International
Tel: +41 22 364 9550
E-Mail: cdoole@wwfint.org



Martin Hiller, Communications Manager
WWF Climate Change Programme
Tel: +41 79 347 22 56
E-Mail: mhiller@wfint.org