- #1
- 8,142
- 1,759
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2004/10/29/news/arctic.htmlBad news (and good) on Arctic warming
By Andrew C. Revkin The New York Times
Saturday, October 30, 2004
NEW YORK The first thorough assessment of a decades-long Arctic warming trend shows the region is undergoing profound changes, including sharp retreats of glaciers and sea ice, thawing of permafrost, and shifts in ocean and atmospheric conditions that are likely to harm native communities, wildlife and economic activities, while offering some benefits.
The report - conducted and reviewed by 250 scientists and representatives of six organizations representing Arctic native communities - while noting that conditions in the far north have varied naturally in the past, says the current shifts match longstanding scientific projections that the Arctic should be the first place to feel the effect of rising atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases from smokestacks and tail pipes.
It adds that the warming and other changes are likely to accelerate in this century because of the buildup in greenhouse gases.
Prompt efforts to curb such emissions could slow the pace of change sufficiently to allow communities and wildlife to adapt, the report says. [continued]