Climate change agreement has been reached.
Agreement has been reached among delegates at a major conference on climate change in Brussels.
Unfortunately, the report shows global warming isalready having a major impact.
"Billions of people face shortages of food and water and increased risk of flooding, experts at a major climate change conference have warned.
The bleak conclusion came ahead of the publication of a key report by hundreds of international environmental experts.
Agreement on the final wording of the report was reached after a marathon debate through the night in Brussels.
People living in poverty would be worst affected by the effects of climate change, the gathered experts said.
"It's the poorest of the poor in the world, and this includes poor people even in prosperous societies, who are going to be the worst hit," said Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Mr Pachauri said those people were also the least equipped to deal with the effects of such changes.
Objections
Outlining the report's findings, Martin Parry, co-chairman of IPCC Working Group II, said evidence showed climate change was having a direct effect on animals, plants and water.
"For the first time, we are no longer arm-waving with models; this is empirical data, we can actually measure it," he told a news conference.
Key findings of the report include:
75-250 million people across Africa could face water shortages by 2020
Crop yields increase could increase by 20% in East and Southeast Asia, but decrease by up to 30% in Central and South Asia
Agriculture fed by rainfall could drop by 50% in some African countries by 2020
20-30% of all plant and animal species at increased risk of extinction if temperatures rise between 1.5-2.5C
Glaciers and snow cover expected to decline, reducing water availability in countries supplied by melt water
The report states that the observed increase in the global average temperature was "very likely" due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
The scientific work reviewed by IPCC scientists includes more than 29,000 pieces of data on observed changes in physical and biological aspects of the natural world.
Eighty-nine percent of these, it believes, are consistent with a warming world.
Year of reports
Scientists and politicians have welcomed the report.
"This further underlines both how urgent it is to reach global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and how important it is for us all to adapt to the climate change that is already under way," European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told the Reuters news agency."
IPCC Report at t glance:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
When will our country join in taking the actions needed to stop this from reaching the tipping point of no return and finding solutions?
Help spread the message that we need to act now.
Step It Up 2007 has organized a National Day of Climate Action on April 14. They've already scheduled more than 1,100 rallies in all fifty states - locations vary from the melting glacier on top of Mt. Rainier, to the levees in New Orleans, to underwater in an endangered coral reef off the coast of Florida, to your neighborhood park.
You can find the rally closest to your home, or if there isn't one nearby, host one yourself by visiting:
http://stepitup2007.org/