Scientists Warn of Global Warming’s Abrupt Changes
By Tony Barboza
March 18, 2014, 9:00 p.m.
A group of scientists warned Tuesday that world leaders must act more swiftly to slow greenhouse gas emissions or risk “abrupt, unpredictable and potentially irreversible changes” from climate change.
The American Assn. for the Advancement of Science’s blunt report contains no new scientific conclusions. But by speaking in plain, accessible terms it seeks to instill greater urgency in leaders and influence everyday Americans. Scientists said many previous assessments have been long and ponderous, and have failed to shift public opinion on global warming.
The goal “is to move policy forward by making science as clear and straightforward as we possibly can,” association Chief Executive Alan Leshner said. “What we’re trying to do is to move the debate from whether human-induced climate change is reality … to exactly what should you do about it.”
The 18-page report titled “What We Know,” lays out many effects of human-caused climate change already underway. It warns that the consequences are growing more severe the longer governments delay action.