Global warming slowdown 'does not invalidate climate change

The slowdown in rising global surface temperatures is not a sign that climate change is no longer happening, scientists say. The slowdown in rising global surface temperatures is not a sign that climate change is no longer happening, the national science academies of the US and the UK have said. Publishing a guide on the state of climate change science, the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society said the short-term slowdown this century did not "invalidate" the long-term trend of rising temperatures caused by man-made climate change. "Despite the decadal slowdown in the rise of average surface temperature, a longer-term warming trend is still evident. Each of the last three decades was warmer than any other decade since widespread thermometer measurements were introduced in the 1850s," the publication, Climate Change Evidence and Causes, said. Scientists have been investigating reasons for the slowdown in temperature rises. Peer-reviewed papers over the last year have suggested 17 sun-dimming volcanic eruptions since 2000, "unusual" trade winds in the Pacific Ocean burying surface heat deep underwater and the world's oceans absorbing greater amounts of heat in recent years may have contributed. Climate change : California's Central Valley Impacted By Major Drought A sign from wetter times warns people not to dive from a bridge over the Kern River, which has dried up following drought in Bakersfield, California. Photograph: Thomas Stocker, the co-chair of working group one of the UN's climate science panel, said at the launch of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's landmark report last September that the recent slowdown in surface temperature rises was not significant because it was over too short a period of time. "Climate relevant trends should not be calculated for periods of less than 30 years," he said. The new document by the two science academies addresses the issue head on and says: "A short-term slowdown in the warming of Earth's surface does not invalidate our understanding of long-term changes in global temperature arising from human-induced changes in greenhouse gases." The publication also addresses areas of uncertainty in climate science, saying more work needs to be done to predict the role of clouds in future climate change, as well as the likely impact on the frequency of future hurricanes occurring. But the academies state unequivocally that the world is warming and will warm by a further 2.6-4.8C by the end of the century. A claim by the UK environment secretary, Owen Paterson, that a future temperature rise of 1-2.5C would only be "modest", is squarely contradicted, with the scientists noting that the global average temperature in the last ice age was only 4-5C colder than today. "Global warming of just a few degrees will be associated with widespread changes in regional and local temperature and precipitation as well as with increases in some types of extreme weather events," they write. Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, said: "We have enough evidence to warrant action being taken on climate change; it is now time for the public debate to move forward to discuss what we can do to limit the impact on our lives and those of future generations." Climate scientists who worked on the new guide include Eric Wolff of the University of Cambridge, Inez Fung of the University of California, Berkeley, Brian Hoskins of Imperial College London and the University of Reading, and Kevin Trenberth, of the US-based National Center for Atmospheric Research.

US, China to share policy ideas to fight global warming

The US and China, the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, Saturday announced they were joining forces to share more information on trying to combat climate change. In a joint statement announced as US Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing, both countries said that they would work together "to collaborate through enhanced policy dialogue, including the sharing of information regarding their respective post-2020 plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions". The two sides have also reached an agreement on implementing five initiatives launched under a joint climate change working group, the statement said. Those initiatives include emission reductions from heavy duty and other vehicles; smart grids; carbon capture utilisation and storage; collecting and managing greenhouse gas emissions data; and energy efficiency in buildings and industry. China's cities are often hit by heavy pollution, blamed on coal-burning by power stations and industry, as well as vehicle use, and it has become a major source of discontent with the ruling Communist Party. Authorities have become more open about pollution levels, in part as a response to public pressure, but officials have implied that it will take years before the situation improves. The pollution has been linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, and has tarnished the image of Chinese cities including Beijing, which saw a 10 percent drop in tourist visits during the first 11 months of 2013. After touring a factory which is a joint US-Sino venture making clean diesel engines for heavy vehicles, Kerry said the two countries were to try to pool their efforts. "The leaders of China have agreed to join us," he told workers at the spanking new Cummins-Foton factory, which is set to go into production in April. "China and the United States will put an extra effort into exchanging information and discussing policies that will help both of us to be able to develop and lead on the standards that need to be announced next year for the global climate change agreement," Kerry said. "This is a unique cooperative effort" between the two countries, he said, adding he hoped it would set "the standard for global seriousness" to fight climate change. Indiana-based Cummins has joined with China's Foton to build the $350 million dollar plant on the edge of Beijing, which will initially produce some 60,000 of the new clean engines a year. When the second phase comes online next year, it is expected to double production of the engines, which will meet new emissions standards set to be adopted soon by Beijing. Climate change is set to be the main theme of the next stop of Kerry's Asia tour as he arrives in Jakarta later Saturday. In their joint statement Saturday, both sides said that they recognise the need for action "in light of the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change and its worsening impacts, and the related issue of air pollution from burning fossil fuels". The agreement includes the sharing of information regarding the plans of the US and China to limit greenhouse gas emissions post-2020, the statement said.