Green | May 27, 2008 | 0 comments

Climate change having 'worldwide, widespread effects'

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JanforGore
Many physical and ecological systems are being affected by the world's warming climate, researchers say.

Scientists from across the world applied statistical models to published data on changes in 829 physical systems and around 28,800 plant and animal systems —on both global and continental scales — some with data going back to 1970.

Their analysis, published in Nature last week (15 May), looked at whether these changes were related to temperature increase, other factors such as land use change, or simply natural variability.

Around 95 per cent of the physical systems studied responded to the world's warming trend. The analysis found that glaciers in every continent have been shrinking, permafrost is melting, the peak of river levels in spring is shifting, and lake and river temperatures are rising.

And 90 per cent of the changes in plants and animals were consistent with responses to temperature rise, including earlier blooming and leaf unfolding.

The authors found little evidence that natural variability or other environmental factors were significant, and conclude that climate change is affecting these systems.
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It's time to stop debating this and get down to work. Otherwise, we will have nothing to debate over. It will be gone.
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