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Final Statement of the Second World Climate Conference*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

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Extract

Climate issues reach far beyond the atmospheric and oceanic sciences, affecting every aspect of life on this planet. The issues are increasingly pivotal in determining future environmental and economic well-being. Variations of climate have profound effects on natural and managed systems, the economies of nations, and the wellbeing of people everywhere. A clear scientific consensus has emerged on estimates of the range of global warming which can be expected during the 21 st century. If the increase of concentrations of ‘greenhouse’ gases is not limited, the predicted climate change would place stresses on natural and social systems unprecedented in the past 10,000 years.

At the First World Climate Conference, in 1979, nations were urged ‘to foresee and to prevent potential man-made changes in climate that might be adverse to the well-being of humanity’. The Second World Climate Conference concludes that, notwithstanding scientific and economic uncertainties, nations should now take steps towards reducing sources and increasing sinks of ‘greenhouse’ gases through national and regional actions, with due negotiation of a global convention on climate change and related legal instruments. The long-term goal should be to halt the build-up of ‘greenhouse’ gases at a level that minimizes risks to society and natural ecosystems. The remaining uncertainties must not be the basis for deferring societal responses to these risks. Many of the actions that would reduce risk are also desirable on other grounds.

A major international observational and research effort will be essential to strengthen the knowledge-base on climate processes and human interactions, and to provide the basis for operational climate monitoring and prediction.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , Spring 1991 , pp. 62 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1991

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References

† An undefined, largely relative, term here — and often hereafter — used in the very wide sense as including the least developed countries and, apparently,.all that do not fall in the general category of ‘developed’ or industrialized.—Ed.

†† ‘Business-as-Usual’ assumes that few or no steps are taken to limit ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions. Energy-use and clearing of tropical forests continue, and fossil fuels — in particular coal — remain the world's primary energy-source. The Montreal Protocol comes into effect, but without strengthening, and with less than 100% compliance.

* A climate compilation project of WMO which provides computerized information and programmes for users world-wide.—

* The International Council of Scientific Unions (effectively the world's scientific summit), not forgetting its strong environmental wing SCOPE (Special Committee on Problems of the Environment).—Ed.

† See Part IC 5–8.—Ed.

†† See second footnote on page 62.—Ed.