International experts have drawn up a list of actions they say must urgently be taken by governments worldwide to prevent climate change devastating the planet. Scientists from the United Nations worked with representatives from countries across the globe to draw up a guide telling politicians what needs to be done to avert disaster.The document summarises the scientific consensus on human-induced climate change - that it has begun and threatens to irreversibly alter the planet. It will be the first point of reference for delegates at a crucial meeting in Indonesia next month that is intended to launch a political process on international co-operation to control global warming.
Negotiators from more than 140 countries took six days to thrash out the final version of the guide, which brings together research compiled over the last six years by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The papers describe how climate systems are changing and why, the impacts the changes are having on mankind and ecosystems, and gives various scenarios of future impacts, depending on how quickly action is taken.
WWF climate scientist Stephan Singer called it a "groundbreaking document that will pave the way for deep emissions cuts by developing countries". (Sky News)
