climate science

This week involved a trip to Brussels to take part in a stake holder event focused on the question of what kind of international agreement should follow on from Kyoto.

Part of the day involved an update on the science which was, as ever, quite depressing. Everything is happening faster than the models predicted. As if to confirm this, my inbox this morning contained the headlines – “Arctic temperatures at record levels” - air temperatures this Autumn are 5 degrees C warmer than normal and the Greenland summer melt this year broke records in terms of its extent and duration. And “Sea's Acidity Rising 100 Times Faster Than in Past” - according to a UNESCO report issued yesterday the acidification of the world’s oceans, caused by the absorption of huge volumes of carbon dioxide, is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of tens of millions of people.

All cheery stuff.

Continues....