The new 'Climate Change Index' shows steadily increasing effects on
the climate, purportedly due to man's influence. (IGBP)
A new “Climate Change Index” was announced today at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen. Created by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the new index will be released annually and provide a graphical representation of the key factors in anthropogenic global warming.
GBP equated the new system to the Dow Jones Index and said it would provide a means to condense “volumes of data into a single figure.” Taking into account carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, sea level and sea ice, it is hoped the new index will provide an easy to understand reference for the layman.
- Complete coverage of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15)
- How does the index work? Watch the video below!
Professor Sybil Seitzinger says, "We felt people outside global-change research are not clear about the scale of the changes scientists are witnessing. The index is a response to these concerns."
Climate Change Examiner on Twitter
Or be notified by email when a new article from the Climate Change Examiner is posted. Click the 'Subscribe' link at the top or bottom of the article and enter your email address.
In its initial release, the index looks back on the past 30 years to 1980 and each year since. The system shows that the cumulative effect of the factors has increased each year except three. Those three years were all years in which major volcanic eruptions were seen – Mount Pinatubo in 1991, El Chichon in 1982 and an eruption in Montserrat in 1996.
The scientists that created the index believe it shows a direct connection between the climate and man’s activities. “The overall direction of change - a climbing cumulative index - highlights the extent human activities are having on the planet's climate system,” they said.
The video below explains the index and the factors it includes.
More information can be found on the IGBP website.
Comments
Please, I think a fiction award is in order for this group of "scientists". The United Nations is interested in US money and there are plenty out there that for there share of the silver they will sell us all out.
This looks like a good number to use for a climate change futures index. Everyone can put their money where their mouths are. The people who think the index will go up can bet on the index increasing, while the skeptics can bet on it going down. Then the rest of us can see who earns money and who loses.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!