December 13, 2007

scientists respond to the release of global temperature figures

Global annual temperature figures were released by the University of East Anglia and The Met Office, at the same time as the World Meteorological Office released their figures at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali.

Dr Paul Williams, NERC Research Fellow in climate modeling at the University of Reading, said:

“This is further evidence that the pace of global warming is accelerating at an alarming rate. The need for action has never been greater, and yet nations are still dragging their feet in Bali. We must urgently start treating the atmosphere more like a vital reservoir and less like a sewer.”

Dr Myles Allen, Climate Dynamics Group / climateprediction.net, University of Oxford, said:

“No one likes to say ‘I told you so’, but these figures come as no surprise to climate scientists. Global temperatures are rising almost exactly as we predicted they would over fifteen years ago as a result of human activity. While there is still plenty of work to be done on the implications, the scientific debate over whether rising greenhouse gas levels are the principal cause of this warming has effectively been dead for years, despite the heroic efforts of some sections of the media to keep it on life-support.”