Bleakest report yet
Despite US and Chinese objections, delegates still managed to add a warning that some African nations might have to spend 5 to 10 per cent of gross domestic product on adapting to climate change.
Overall, the report is the bleakest UN assessment yet of the threat of climate change, predicting water shortages that could affect billions of people, extinctions of species and a rise in ocean levels that could go on for centuries.
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"By 2080, it is likely that 1.1 to 3.2bn people will be experiencing water scarcity"
IPCC draft report |
It says human greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels, are very likely to be the main cause of warming. It also says climate change could cause a sharp fall in crop yields in Africa, a thaw of Himalayan glaciers and more heat-waves for Europe and North America.
In one section, the IPCC toned down risks of extinctions, delegates said.
"Approximately 20 to 30 per cent of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius [2.7 to 4.5 Fahrenheit]," the text said.
A previous draft had said 20 to 30 per cent of all species would be at "high risk" of extinction with those temperature rises.