WWF Warn of Dangerous Tipping Points Ahead

A new report from the WWF charity is warning that the world is dangerously close to reaching it’s temperature threshold. These thresholds, also known as ‘tipping points’, can be the catalyst for potentially fatal changes in weather which can unleash devastating environmental, social and economic changes.

The report, ‘Major Tipping Points in the Earth’s Climate System and Consequences for the Insurance Sector’, is strong enough for WWF officials to call on EU Environment Ministers to urgently increase the ambition of Europe’s emissions reduction targets.  Studies show that without immediate action, the sea level will soon rise on the East Coast of the USA. A raise of 3C in temperature will also disturb the Indian Summer Monsoon in India and Nepal and damage more of the Amazonian rain forest due to increasing drought. These climate changes will not only affect hundreds of millions of people, but also cost some of the world’s governments hundreds of billions of dollars.

Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK, Keith Allott, said -

If we don’t take immediate action against climate change, we are in grave danger of disruptive and devastating changes. Reaching a tipping point means losing something forever. Global leaders need to recognise how close we are to tipping the scales toward climate disaster, and to take the necessary steps ensure we get a strong and binding climate deal in Copenhagen in December.

The emission targets and financing packages currently on the table from developed countries fall alarmingly short what is needed if we are to avoid an extremely dangerous future. With just two weeks to go to Copenhagen, the EU urgently needs to rediscover its leadership on climate change. Ed Miliband and other Environment Ministers meeting in Brussels today need to accept that the current EU target to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020 is embarrassingly weak. The EU needs to step up to a 40% reduction – this is necessary and achievable, and would also be the key to unlocking the international gridlock.

Our Tipping Points report shows how quickly we are approaching dangerous and irreversible levels of global warming. Economic consequences of passing the climate tipping points are absolutely overwhelming. A strong, legally binding climate agreement in Copenhagen in December is the best, if not the only chance to prevent the worst impacts of devastating climate change.

According to current calculations, if global emissions continue to rise in 2020 so will the world’s temperature by at least 3 degrees, and possibly more. This will start a chain reaction of ‘tipping points’ across the planet which will have potentially fatal consquences for the human race.

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