Scientists are more certain than ever that human activities are significantly affecting climate across the world, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its first assessment of the evidence since 2007. That conclusion may surprise some people, following a well publicised series of setbacks over the past few years for those who believe that the battle against global warming should be near the top of the international political and economic agenda.
Increasingly vocal climate sceptics have made the most of leaked “Climategate” emails, mistakes in the last IPCC report (notably an erroneous prediction about the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers), the failure of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen – and, most significantly, a lengthening “pause” in the rise in atmospheric temperatures averaged across the globe. But the IPCC document released on Friday in Stockholm – a 36-page summary of a long assessment based on 9,200 individual studies – demonstrates that research and observations continue to strengthen the scientific case for action against climate change.
The policy makers for whom the report was written must respond with renewed efforts to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas. No politician who denies all this evidence can be taken seriously.