Global warming will increase world temperatures by almost six degrees Celsius over the next ten years, according to a report unveiled today by a UN scientific group.
The UN report said climate change caused by global warming will have powerful but varied effects on the world's regions over the next century.
The document was compiled by a working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), part of a massive effort to update knowledge on the scale and impact of global warming.
The panel calculates that the so-called "greenhouse effect" of carbon dioxide (CO2), caused by unhindered burning of fossil fuels, will cause the Earth's atmosphere to warm by up to 5.8 C. (10.4 F.) by 2100.
In Europe, the predicted effects of climate change will be substantial in some areas, but as a whole, the study finds, Europe has the financial resources and know-how to adapt.
The biggest risk is river flooding which will increase across much of the region. The worst-hit areas will be in southern Europe, which will become hotter, drier and vulnerable to water shortages. In northern Europe, warmer temperatures could mean a boost for farmers.
It also found that half of the alpine glaciers and large permafrost areas could disappear by the end of this century and that habitat change will be significant and some animal species could disappear.
The economic impact is likely to be felt in the Mediterranean, which will be less attractive as a summer holiday destination, and in ski resorts, which could find themselves without snow. Insurance companies will face bigger bills from flood damage.
The biggest impact on health will mainly heat-related.
- Details on Asia, Africa and North America.
AFP