http://www.iema.net/print.php?sid=2663
Date : Jun 26, 2003
- 06:32 PM
Global Warming
Catastrophe - New Evidence
Global warming over
the next hundred years could trigger a
catastrophe which rivals the worst mass extinction in the
planet's entire history, according to new evidence unearthed
by scientists at Bristol University.
The researchers have
discovered that a mere six degrees of global
warming was enough to wipe out up to 95% of the species which
were
alive on Earth at the end of the Permian period, 251 million years
ago. Up to six degrees of warming is now predicted for the next
century by UN scientists from the intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, if nothing is done about emissions of the
greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide, which cause
global warming.
The end-Permian mass
extinction is now thought to have been
caused by gigantic volcanic eruptions, which triggered a runaway
greenhouse effect and nearly put an end to life on Earth.
Conditions in what geologists have termed this 'post-apocalyptic
greenhouse' were so severe that only one large land animal was
left alive, and it took 100 million years for species diversity
to return to former levels.
This dramatic new finding
is revealed in a book by Bristol
University's Head of Earth Sciences, Professor Michael Benton,
which chronicles the geological efforts leading up to the
discovery and its potential implications.
Professor Benton said:
"The end-Permian crisis nearly marked
the end of life. It's estimated that fewer than one in ten
species survived. Geologists are only now coming to appreciate
the severity of this global catastrophe and to understand how
and why so many species died out so quickly."
Other climate experts
say they are appalled that a disaster
of such magnitude could be repeated within this century because
of human activities. Global warming author Mark Lynas, who
recently travelled around the world witnessing the current
impacts of climate change, said the findings must be a wake-up
call for politicians and citizens alike. "This is a global
emergency," he said. "We are heading for disaster, and
yet
the world is still on fossil fuel autopilot. There needs
to be an immediate phase-out of coal, oil and gas, and a
phase-in of clean energy sources. People can no longer
ignore this looming catastrophe."
http://www.bristol.ac.uk
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