Earthwatch offers worldwide response to IPCC report on global warming threat
Earthwatch Institute, Maynard, MA, 5 February 2007-On February 2, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest report, leaving little doubt that human activities are driving climate change. While the report offers no solutions yet, Earthwatch Institute provides many alternatives for people who want to help understand and mitigate the impact of global warming on ecosystems and communities around the world.
"If people are indeed part of the problem, they can also be part of the solution," said Ed Wilson, President and CEO of Earthwatch. The international environmental volunteer organization supports scientific field research on the world's most pressing issues including global warming. "Climate change is one of Earthwatch's key research priorities, providing volunteers with many opportunities to take action and make a difference through their participation."
The IPCC report stated that there is 90 percent certainty that the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are responsible for observed changes in climate. The report specified that rises in global temperatures could be as high as 6.4 degrees Centigrade by 2100, with the most likely range being between between 1.8 degrees and 4.0 degrees. The warming will result in rising sea levels, as much as 59 centimeters, and an increase in the intensity of hurricanes.
Parts 2 and 3 of the IPCC report, due to be released in March and April, will deal more directly with the impacts of climate change and how humans might mitigate these impacts. In the mean time, many global citizens are actively volunteering with Earthwatch scientists to understand glacial melt in Iceland and Alaska or the impact temperature increase has on rainforests.
In the next five years, Earthwatch will support $40 million in climate change research, education, and engagement programs involving 100,000 volunteers. These programs promote practical and integrated solutions to climate change impacts, from restoring ecosystems to supporting regional economic development.
"Earthwatch provides a vital opportunity for scientists from many disciplines to work towards an understanding of how global climate change impacts upon our environment and its delicate ecosystems," said Dr. James Crabbe of the University of Bedfordshire. Crabbe, principal investigator of Earthwatch-supported research on coral reefs in Jamaica and Belize, was awarded the Aviva/Earthwatch Award for Climate Change Research last October.
Already, Earthwatch volunteers are assisting in research on climate change impacts in the Canadian Arctic, Australian rainforest, the western Atlantic Ocean, and the forests of Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the United States. Teams in Samburu, Kenya are mapping water resources subject to variability from global warming, and teams in Madagascar are identifying how rare lemurs are vulnerable to changing climates.
"It is through the hard work of Earthwatch volunteers that we are beginning to fit together the pieces of this ecological jigsaw puzzle," said Dr. Rob Thomas (Cardiff University), principal investigator of Earthwatch's Storm Petrels over Portugal project. "By providing hard facts and thorough case studies that illustrate the biological effects of climate change, our hope is that environmental policy makers will be better able to develop appropriate responses to promote the survival of marine biodiversity in the face of climate change."
See Earthwatch's Climate Change Statement.
Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.
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