The Wire

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC makes for some concerning reading. Compiled by 2500 scientists and backed by the UN it documents that climate change is happening, and it’s occurring at a faster rate than previously expected. If we don’t act now a third of the world’s animals and plants could become extinct and water levels will rise drastically. To stop this, the IPCC report calls for CO2 levels to be reduced by 85% by 2050. It notes though that early action to reduce CO2s will only shave an estimated 0.12 percent off each country’s gross domestic product The report was released ahead of next month’s meeting in Bali aimed at tackling the global effort to reduce climate change and devise a new agreement once to Kyoto Protocol, which runs out in 2012. The Wire spoke with Australian Climate Scientist Dr Melanie Fitzpatrick, one of the independent reviewers of the IPCC report, and compiled this story.