On 2 February 2007, the first of three reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was published. This report highlights strong indications of a connection between human activities and global warming. It also notes that the trend towards rising temperatures will accelerate over the next few decades if the global community does not act now.
Together with the Stern Review, these new scientific results challenge future energy strategies. Documentation shows that the total costs (including environmental impact) of producing and using fossil energy are already high and will increase in the future.
In commercial and political terms, the report is expected to ignite the debate on topics related to the supply of renewable energy and environmental issues. These reports are also expected to support wind power, now and in the future.
Conclusions:
- The latest scientific research indicates that global climate change is a result of human activities and consumption of fossil energy (oil, coal and gas).
- Observations of average air and ocean temperatures and an average rise in global sea levels confirm the existence of global warming.
- Simulations show that temperatures, and therefore sea levels, will rise over the next few decades.
Background
This report is the first of four volumes which (combined) comprise the Fourth Assessment Report. Previous reports were published in 1990, 1995 and 2001, and have all been extremely influential on climate policies worldwide, for example, these reports influenced the 1992 UN Climate Convention and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.