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Dire consequences if global warming exceeds 2 degrees says IUCN IUCN release November 29, 2005 Montreal, Canada—The parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change must keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, says the World Conservation Union (IUCN). "The Kyoto Protocol was an important milestone, but it is simply not enough. This conference must find new ways to achieve more serious emissions reductions after 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol expires," says Achim Steiner, Director General of the World Conservation Union. Recent studies have even predicted that up to one million species could go extinct due to climate change. Whatever scenario one may refer to, the number of reports of extinctions and changes in ecosystems are increasing already. On November 28, 2005 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and, for the first time, the parties to the Kyoto Protocol are meeting in Montreal, Canada over the next two weeks. One Million Species Could Go Extinct Due To Climate Change Canada's boreal forests may be impacted by climate change more than many other regions. Boreal forests could decline in response to climate change, through factors such as increased incidences of diseases, pest infestations, fires, invasive species, severe weather events, or reduced rainfall.
"We now receive more and more evidence that corals in the Caribbean are dying at an unprecedented speed and scale. While coral bleaching cannot be attributed to climate change alone, nature is giving us plenty of warning signs to reduce our emissions and adapt our resource management strategies," says Carl-Gustaf Lundin, Head of IUCN's Global Marine Programme. One-third of all amphibians and reptiles are threatened with extinction, with climate change being one of the causes, as shown by the Global Amphibian Assessment released earlier this year. Climate Change Puts Human Well-being At Risk Extinction of species and changes in habitats put human well-being at risk. Human livelihoods are affected if plant or animal species go extinct, since many communities use them as sources of food, fuel and income. Furthermore, changes in rainfall and temperatures will impact agriculture—the crops that are produced and the contribution that biodiversity makes to these production systems, for instance through pollination, water provision, or pest control.
While reduction of greenhouse gas emissions should be the most important target, climate change is already happening and we need to take steps to adapt. Adaptation strategies identify ecosystems and communities most vulnerable to climate change impacts, and strive to reduce these impacts, improve the resilience of ecosystems, and identify or modify livelihood options for people. Examples of adaptation strategies are forest landscape restoration to increase resilience to climate change by augmenting quality, quantity and diversity of forests or the restoration of floodplains to improve the buffer capacity of river systems. It is in these areas that the World Conservation Union is set to make a contribution. Meaningful Emissions Reductions Remains First And Foremost Target But the hard facts remain that humanity is pumping too many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and that global emissions are still increasing. Reducing emissions to stay below a 2 degree increase in temperature remains the first and foremost task of the parties to the convention. "To use a simple analogy: you can mop up water, but only after you have plugged the leak. Investing in adaptation only makes sense after parties have made serious commitments to and investments in emission reductions," says Achim Steiner. The body of the above statement is a news release from IUCN.
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