When global warming first emerged as an issue the argument was whether or not this phenomenon really existed. Now, with most of the scientific community agreeing that global warming is in fact real, the argument has shifted to what effects climate change will have on our planet. There are various theories as to the potential effects of climate change, how they will affect the planet, and the timetable for these effects to take place. These timetables range from two days all the way up to thousands of years before humans feel the ramifications of the destruction they have inflicted on the planet. According to a recent analysis, the problem is getting worse much faster than expected.
A recent study showed that global temperatures are on a path to increase by an average of 6C if fast and immediate action is not taken to limit emissions. According to the Global Carbon Project emissions have gone up by nearly thirty percent in the eight years between 2000-2008. Although most of these emissions came from developing nations, nearly twenty five percent came from the production of goods for use in industrialized nations. The study comes as a lead in to the United Nations summit on climate change in Copenhagen next month. World leaders have been sending mixed signals about whether an emissions agreement will be reached at the summit.
The Global Carbon Project hopes that its findings will help put pressure on world leaders to reach an agreement during the summit, as it shows the situation to be direr than once thought.
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