Building the Global Adaptation Community

Abstract

An overwhelming body of evidence suggests that the Earth will likely experience a doubling of pre-industrial levels of greenhouse gases within the next 20–50 years, causing a rise in global mean temperatures. While estimates of the impacts of this temperature increase range from moderate to catastrophic, even conservative scenarios of global warming could have severe impacts on natural and human systems. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that lower temperature increases could result in greater vulnerabilities regarding food supply, infrastructure, health, water resources, and coastal systems, while intermediate estimates point to significant losses in biodiversity, decreasing global agricultural productivity and glacial melt.