Leaked drafts of a United Nations report show scientists have never been more confident that climate change is occurring, according to Reuters.
Scientists say it is at least 95 percent likely that humans are the main cause of climate change, largely by burning fossil fuels, Reuters said of the findings in the draft Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.
That’s up 90 percent from the last report in 2007, and far surpasses the 66 percent in 2001, Reuters reported. Reuters noted the report, scheduled for a September release, will face “intense scrutiny,” as state officials prepare to negotiate a climate agreement to maintain a goal of preventing global temperatures rising 2 degrees Celsius by 2020.
From Reuters:
The new study will state with greater confidence than in 2007 that rising manmade greenhouse gas emissions have already meant more heatwaves. But it is likely to play down some tentative findings from 2007, such as that human activities have contributed to more droughts.