Download HKIE Climate Change Corner Issue 74 (Dec 13)

Latest Assessment of Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change on Human
Influence on Climate
On September 27, a new assessment was released by the Inter-governmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I. According to the full report released,
human influence on the climate system is clear and this is evident in most regions of
the globe.
A full report of the IPCC Working Group I contribution to the Fifth Assessment
Report, titled “Climate Change 2013 – The Physical Science Basis”, is now available
on the IPCC web site (www.ipcc.ch)
According to the latest assessment,
 warming of the climate system is unequivocal and has been the case since 1950s;
 each of the last three last decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s
surface than any preceding decade since 1850;
 ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system,
accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and
2010, with high confidence;
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over the last two decades, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been
losing mass;
the rate of sea level rise since the mid-19th century has been larger than the mean
rate during the previous two millennia, with high confidence;
CO2 concentrations have increased by 40% since pre-industrial times, primarily
from fossil fuel emissions and secondarily from net land use change emissions;
and
the total radiative forcing is positive and has led to an uptake of energy by the
climate system.
Thomas Stocker, a co-chair of the Working Group I, has said that “Continued
emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all
components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial
and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions”.
The latest findings have provided a firm foundation for consideration of the impacts
of climate change on human and natural systems and ways to meet the challenge of
climate change. The report or at least its “Summary for Policymakers” is a must read
for all.
References
IPCC Working GroupI Full Report
http://www.ipcc.ch/news_and_events/docs/ar5/advisory_report_unedited.pdf
Headline Statement, IPCC
http://www.ipcc.ch/news_and_events/docs/ar5/press_release_ar5_wgi_en.pdf
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The article is contributed by Ir Elvis Au, the coordinator of the climate change corner
of HKIE Journal