Rising temperatures will leave millions more starving by 2080 and cause critical water shortages in China and Australia, as well as parts of Europe and the US, predicts a bold report on climate change.
The United Nations' confidential report, compiled by over 2000 scientists from 130 countries, has been in the making since 2001 and will be released on Friday February 2. The draft provides a common consensus: climate change has been man-made and needs urgent attention.
The Age newspaper claims an additional 200 million to 600 million people across the world would face food shortages in another 70 years, while coastal flooding would hit another seven million homes.
In addition to catastrophic flooding, other predicted impacts of global warming include severe droughts, desertification and famines. The social effects would include hundreds of millions of "climate refugees" forced from devastated regions.
Damage in Australia can be largely attributed to industrial waste and inadequate government policy responses, according to environmental groups.
"It has been extremely embarrassing that our Government has not signed the Kyoto Protocol," said Dr James Watson from the Australian Wilderness Society to The Epoch Times, referring to the international policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Australian Greenpeace Energy campaigner Catherine Fitzpatrick says: "The report really drives home the message that if we're to stave off future climate change it really lies with our leaders such as John Howard and the new Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull to bring in punishments that will avoid preventable climate change."
"The private sector, in particular small business," says Dr Watson, "has been complimented on their responsiveness towards consumer preference for climate-friendly products." However, Ms Fitzpatrick raises doubts about fundamental changes to business, with profitability outweighing environmental concern and lack of Government initiative to regulate industries.
Australian outlook
According to Dr Graeme Pearman, former climate director of CSIRO who helped draft the UN report, both China and Australia will lose significant rainfall in their agricultural areas.
The report chapter focusing on Australia names several high-profile natural sites vulnerable to climatic variations. These include the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park's wetlands, the Murray-Darling Basin and alpine zones in southern Australia. Some scientists say Australia, the world's driest inhabited continent, is suffering from "accelerated climate change" compared to other nations.
On the positive side, Dr Pearman said there was an enormous amount the international community could do to avert climate change if swift action was taken.
"Those threats go to the economy of Australia, they go to our environment – they go to our responsibilities as custodians of this unique asset in our natural heritage," commented the Opposition leader Kevin Rudd.
"This could be our final warning" says Greenpeace's Ms Fitzpatrick, "and may be the key to stable economies, agricultural systems and healthy communities and so far is the best climate science report in the world to date."
With AAP & Reuters
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