Warming 'increasingly disruptive' across US - report. 6 May 2014Last updated at 08:53 ET By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News The BBC's David Willis: "The last decade has seen some of the warmest temperatures on record here in the US" Climate change is having significant financial, ecological and human health impacts across the US, according to a new report. The third National Climate Assessment, released by the White House, says the number and strength of extreme weather events have increased over the past 50 years. Infrastructure is being damaged by sea level rise, downpours and extreme heat. The report says these impacts are likely to worsen in the coming decades. Coming hot on the heels of the trio of reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the assessment re-iterates the finding that climate change is real, and "driven primarily by human activity".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote End QuoteFrances BeineckeNatural Resources Defense Council "It's impossible for the night to cool the earth. " Climate impacts 'overwhelming' - UN. Image copyright Reuters The impacts of global warming are likely to be "severe, pervasive and irreversible", a major report by the UN has warned. Scientists and officials meeting in Japan say the document is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the impacts of climate change on the world.
Some impacts of climate change include a higher risk of flooding and changes to crop yields and water availability. Humans may be able to adapt to some of these changes, but only within limits. Media playback is unsupported on your device An example of an adaptation strategy would be the construction of sea walls and levees to protect against flooding. Natural systems are currently bearing the brunt of climatic changes, but a growing impact on humans is feared. Members of the UN's climate panel say it provides overwhelming evidence of the scale of these effects. Our health, homes, food and safety are all likely to be threatened by rising temperatures, the summary says.
Climate inaction catastrophic - US. 31 March 2014Last updated at 14:39 GMT By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News, Yokohama, Japan Scientists fear a growing impact of global warming on humans The costs of inaction on climate change will be "catastrophic", according to US Secretary of State John Kerry. Mr Kerry was responding to a major report by the UN which described the impacts of global warming as "severe, pervasive and irreversible". He said dramatic and swift action was required to tackle the threats posed by a rapidly changing climate. Our health, homes, food and safety are all likely to be threatened by rising temperatures, the report says. Scientists and officials meeting in Japan say the document is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the impacts of climate change on the world.
In a statement, Mr Kerry said: "Unless we act dramatically and quickly, science tells us our climate and our way of life are literally in jeopardy. "There are those who say we can't afford to act. “Start Quote Analysis.
Greenland glacier velocity. The calving front of the Jakobshavn Glacier in western Greenland, as seen from NASA’s P-3B aircraft on April 21, 2012. Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video Traveling just over 6 mph would hardly break any speed record. But for a glacier, it is a pace that is considered unprecedented. In fact, the most recent summer speed of Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier, according to a new study published by The Cryosphere, has more than quadrupled its summer speed since the 1990s.
The study claims that the glacier, which is believed to have spawned the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, set speed records faster than any previously recorded for glaciers or ice streams in both Greenland or Antarctica. The increase in speed means that more ice is being added to the ocean at a quicker pace, which contributes to a rise in the global sea level. From 2000 to 2011, the Jakobshavn Glacier alone has contributed a sea level increase of about 0.04 inches.