Author Bob Henson on global warming

The “shock waves” of global warming could force 100 million people into “extreme poverty” within 15 years, according to a just-released report by the World Bank.

For researchers, confusion about the true level of temperatures in the 1750s, when the industrial revolution began and fossil fuels became widely used, means that an accurate assessment of the amount the world has warmed since then is very hard.

Two-thirds of the BusinessNZ Climate Survey respondents said they have emissions reduction targets in place, 61% have initiatives underway to reduce their emissions and 52% are already reporting their emissions using at least one independent accreditation or reporting framework.

“There’s been an extra push from El Nino, nevertheless the fact is we have human influence driving our climate into uncharted territory, because we are now above 1C”, he said.

The November 30-Dec. 11 conference will gather 196 parties to reach an agreement aimed at limiting the rise in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) between pre-industrial times and the end of the century. “We expect 2016 to be of similar warmth”.

The report comes roughly a month before top officials from around the world will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

The document says climate change might cause losses in global crop yields of up to five percent by year 2030 and of up to 30 percent by year 2080.

Poor people are also more exposed to higher temperatures and live in countries where food production is expected to decrease because of climate change, the report notes.

The global warming of 2 to 3°C would also increase the risk of waterborne diseases.

A new report from the World Bank highlights the acute threat that climate change poses to the poorer segment of society around the globe. In case of a 50% increase in prices, the poverty could jump over 10%, according to the report. “Many of these people are so poor that they have no impact on aggregate statistics, and this is a better approach that allows the focus to be on them”.

Should India play an active role in climate change negotiations?

Whiting said national governments in developing countries need more support in designing and implementing projects to help eradicate poverty while building communities’ resilience to climate change, as well as financing.

Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, said Dr Lomborg had made a few “bizarre assumptions”.

Dr Peter Stott, head of the climate monitoring and attribution at the Met Office said the latest figures revealing global average temperature rises reaching 1C were another piece of evidence that showed once again the “unequivocal warming” of the Earth. “The statistics in the World Bank report are suitably shocking and I hope they force world leaders to sit up and take notice”, said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid.

The Philippines will join calls for significant action and strong commitments from world leaders to combat the effects of climate change.