A four-degree shock warming may already arrive in 50 years, British scientists warn
A recent study by the acclaimed Met Office, a British meteorological institute, shocked experts with its conclusion that global warming would worsen sharply. In 2070, but perhaps already in 2060, it is possible to count on a temperature increase by 4 °C.
“If we do not reduce our CO2 emissions quickly, we will experience significant climate changes,” said Richard Betts of Met Off at the Oxford International Conference, which was “shocked” by the study’s results. He says that the worsened forecast is based on new findings about the rate of CO2 absorption by oceans and forests – it is much slower than previously thought.
There is a consensus among climatologists and ecologists that a 2 °C temperature rise is a limit beyond which a spiral of irreversible climatic consequences would spin. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the UN predicted last year that a 2 °C increase would not come before the end of the century.
“A growing number of signals indicate that the climate changes may take on far worse developments than scientists had previously predicted. Strong and rapid measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must therefore be implemented very quickly. European countries should continue to set an example for other parts of the world,” said Director Dalibor Dostal of the European Wildlife conservation organization.
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