Publication: UN Chronicle
Publication Date: 01-JUN-07
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Dervis, Kemal
Article Excerpt
Climate change has emerged as one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the world. Twenty years ago at the United Nations, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway's former Prime Minister and former Director-General of the World Health Organization, first drew global attention to the threats posed by climate change to the earth and its inhabitants.
Speaking at the 15th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in May 2007, Ms. Brundtland--one of three Special Envoys on Climate Change appointed by the UN Secretary-General in April--made clear that there can no longer be any doubt about human-induced climate change and its likely impact on the planet.
Today there is broad international scientific consensus that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity, particularly fossil fuel use and deforestation, have increased the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere. As a result, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the earth's mean surface temperature has warmed by 0.75[degrees] Celsius over the past century, and 11 of the last 12 years (1995-2006) have been among the 12 warmest years since 1850. Based on projected GHG trends, temperatures could rise by another 2[degrees]C to 5[degrees]C, or perhaps even more, by 2100. Increases of this magnitude are expected to have widespread negative impacts on human welfare and natural ecosystems, including wide-ranging economic, ecological and social effects.
Climate change is likely to increase the prevalence of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, and may increase the intensity of severe weather events. It is likely...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
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