The worst-case scenarios on climate change envisaged by the UN are already being realised, say scientists at an international meeting in Copenhagen. In a statement outlining their six key messages to political leaders, they say there is an increasing risk of abrupt or irreversible climate shifts. Even modest temperatures rises will affect millions of people, particularly in the developing world, they warn. But most tools needed to cut global carbon dioxide emissions already exist. More than 2,500 researchers and economists attended this meeting designed to update the world on the state of climate research ahead of key political negotiations set for December this year. New data was presented in Copenhagen on sea level rise, which indicated that the best estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made two years ago were woefully out of date. Read the full story here. Miss M.
