Source: timesofmalta.com
British High Commissioner Louise Stanton showing Minister George Pullicino a map illustrating the consequences of a 4°C rise in average temperature from global warming.
Science is telling us loud and clear that we have to stop climate change, said British High Commissioner Louise Stanton, backed by a map illustrating the consequences of a 4°C rise in average temperature as a result of global warming.
"If we do not act immediately, this map will become a stark reality by 2060," she appealed, adding that this is a global problem that requires a global solution.
"The stakes could not be any higher at Copenhagen: Failure is not an option; we need to take action now to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the risk of the very severest impacts," Ms Stanton said.
The map illustrates some of the human impact of a 4°C rise in temperature above pre-industrial levels if climate change remains unmitigated.
Countries like Malta, which already have warm climates, will suffer greatly as the hottest days across Europe could be as much as 8°C warmer. Malta would also be badly affected if droughts occur twice as frequently in the Mediterranean basin.
The map, produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre, using cutting-edge scientific results, has been launched ahead of December's climate change negotiations in Copenhagen and shows this is an issue that will affect everyone.
The UK government is aiming for an agreement that limits the effects of climate change to a rise in global temperature of 2°C. Higher increases will have huge impacts on the world, including a shift in mass migration and even loss of livelihood. Europe, for example, will suffer the effects of increased water scarcity, more frequent and intense droughts and forest fires.
The map was launched at the Science Museum in London by UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and the UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband.
Ms Stanton yesterday presented it to Resources Minister George Pullicino, who promised that the information it contained would be conveyed to the public, in particular schoolchildren.
The minister expressed optimism that, notwithstanding the numerous hurdles, a satisfactory international agreement that would replace the Kyoto protocol could be agreed upon in Copenhagen.
The online version of the four degree world map allows the user to focus on certain impacts, geographies and to access more information about the science behind it.
It is available to be embedded on any website and the embed code can be accessed atwww.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/4degrees.
