There is now less than a month to Copenhagen. We want, and the world needs, a global deal in Copenhagen that is ambitious and fair. We want this because climate change is not just a planetary emergency but a human emergency. The poorest people are those who are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The test we face in December at Copenhagen is a test of our ability to rise to a challenge recognized to be a defining one for our generation.

Unchecked, climate change could lead to a 4 degree average rise in global temperature which poses huge consequences for foreign policy. It could mean 4 billion people would regularly suffer from severe water shortages in 2080. It could stimulate mass migration of a further 150 to 200 million people. It could accentuate areas of pre-existing conflict like in the Middle East where currently 5% of the world’s population is drawing on only 1% of the world’s water.

That is why we, the Foreign Ministers of the UK, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland and Spain reaffirm our commitment to working towards a successful deal in Copenhagen that will limit global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees and provide for immediate action to combat global warming. The deal should also provide support to developing countries to help them cope with climate change. We will ensure that the European Union continues to lead the way in showing ambition, urging others to follow our approach. We will continue to engage personally to ensure climate change and that the challenges it poses are prioritized on the international stage and that we and the global community honour our responsibility to support countries that will be hardest hit by the effects of a changing climate.

source : the French version of this article was published in the “Libération” newspaper on 16 November.

The document shows some of the potential consequences on human activity. It emphasizes the severe effects on water availability, agricultural productivity, extreme temperatures, drought, the risk of forest fires and the sea level rise.

In Europe we would suffer the effects of a scarcity of drinking water and at the same time an increase in sea level. We would also suffer from periods of drought, forest fires, heat waves and storms. These phenomena would occur with increasing frequency and with greater intensity.

The map was presented at the Science Museum in London by Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, Climate and Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, and Professor John Beddington. It shows the main effects of a rise in temperature of 4˚C (7˚F) compared with the pre-industrial average. David Miliband stated “we cannot live in a world where the average temperature has risen by 4 degrees. This map clearly illustrates the scale of the challenge facing us today – climate change is a global problem that needs a global solution and it is a solution we have within our grasp.”

The map shows that a 4 degree average rise will not be spread uniformly across the globe. The land will heat up more quickly than the sea, and high latitudes, particularly the Arctic, will have larger temperature increases. The average land temperature will be 5.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Agricultural yields are expected to decrease in all major regions of production. With a 4 degree increase, half of all Himalayan glaciers will be significantly reduced by 2050, leading to 23% of the population of China being deprived of the vital dry season glacial melt water source.

Click on the interactive map to activate the controls:

For more details on how this map was created and impacts on human activity, agriculture … visit the UK’s Met Office Hadley Centre’s website: Act On Copenhagen

source :  French Ministry for Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development
translation : French Embassy in Washington