Wind farms are one example of a 'green' solution to energy production. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Chris Lim
Controversy surrounds many of the conclusions of the IPCC climate change report to be revealed on Friday.
The 2,000 page report is considered to be highly influential because it was will be used as a basis for UN negotiations on how global warming will be tackled. Co-authored by 257 scientists, the report is the first IPCC report in five years and is due to be released at the end of the week.
Controversy and bickering however has been taking place behind the scenes due to disagreements over some of the conclusions. One particular point of contention is that scientists have struggled to explain why global warming appears to have been slowing down since 1998, a fact that has been attributed to a combination of "natural variability", volcanic eruptions and solar activity.
Reports have emerged suggesting that some countries have even attempted to interfere with this aspect of the report with efforts to have references to the slowdown either removed or trivialized.
The claims have fueled concerns that the topic of climate change has become too political and that it is being used as an excuse by some nations to invest in expensive CO2 mitigation policies with ulterior motives.
Source: Telegraph | Comments (43)
Global Warming, Climate Change, IPCC