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GENEVA (AP) – A US researcher on Thursday criticized US President Donald Trump's statement on global warming, saying a US government report will show "the fundamental impacts of climate change on the American continent."
Officials from the World Meteorological Organization also said the state of California's environmental efforts, in some areas of the financial sector, among grassroots activists and others would have more impact on the fight against climate change. that "political troubles" and "discourse" will hinder him.
Science, they said, will have the last word.
Part of this scientific data is presented Friday in a new US federal climate change assessment report, from agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Energy.
"What you will see tomorrow is very interesting," said Pavel Kabat, chief scientist of WMO. "This is an important report that will be supported by all the agencies … under the administration of President Trump, ranging from NOAA to NASA, from NASA to DOE, showing the fundamental impacts of climate change on the American continent. . "
Kabat spoke at a press conference to present the latest WMO bulletin on greenhouse gases, which indicated that atmospheric levels had reached a record last year. In a statement, WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas warned that "the window of opportunity" to act against climate change was almost closed.
According to the WMO, global average carbon dioxide concentrations reached 405.5 parts per million in 2017, up slightly from the previous year and up from 400.1 in 2015. other heat-trapping gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, have also increased.
The conclusions of this meeting are expected before next month's meeting in Katowice, Poland, on the occasion of the annual World Climate Summit, where they hope to find ways to implement the Paris Agreement. on the 2015 climate, which aims to maintain global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, located about 2,000 kilometers northeast of Australia, is one of the countries already suffering the severe effects of climate change.
His Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ralph Regenvanu, said his government was exploring the possibility of prosecuting fossil fuel companies responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by humans, for the damage caused .
"By hiding what they knew and misrepresenting the dangers of constant use of fossil fuels, the fossil fuel industry and the governments that support it have protected their emissions-related profits." and the changes needed to prevent or at least minimize the impacts of climate change, "he said. "virtual" summit of nations vulnerable to climate change.
The WMO Taalas said the last time the Earth had reached such levels of carbon dioxide concentration was 3 to 5 million years ago.
Without reducing greenhouse gas emissions, said Taalas, "climate change will have more and more destructive and irreversible effects on life on Earth".
Just hours after Trump, who called global warming a "hoax" and pulled the US out of the Paris climate deal, asked a new question about climate change on Twitter: "A Violent and prolonged blast could break ALL RECORDS – What happened to global warming? "
Despite this, Kabat cited a "global transformation" under way in global warming thinking, saying that "the point of no return has been passed". He said the efforts of some industries, civil society and local authorities could "overtake" government agreements or declarations on the issue.
"I think in the long run we are not worried about the current political turmoil," he said.
"Despite President Trump's statements, there remains a very concrete and specific move by agencies under the government administration to advocate for action on climate change," said Kabat.
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Frank Jordans contributed from Berlin.
