Global climate change is "very likely" to have been human-induced, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded.
KEY FINDINGS
It is very likely that human activities are causing global warming
Probable temperature rise by the end of the century will be between 1.8C and 4C (3.2-7.2F)
IPCC REPORT DEFINITIONS
Probability of occurrence:
virtually certain - more than 99%
extremely likely - more than 95%
very likely - more than 90%
likely - more than 60%
more likely than not - more than 50%
unlikely - less than 33%
very unlikely - less than 10%
extremely unlikely - less than 5%
(Source: IPCC)
Possible temperature rise by the end of the century ranges between 1.1C and 6.4C (2-11.5F)
Sea levels are likely to rise by 28-43cm
Arctic summer sea ice is likely to disappear in second half of century
It is very likely that parts of the world will see an increase in the number of heatwaves
Climate change is likely to lead to increased intensity of tropical storms
FOURTH ASSESSMENT REPORT
This is the first of four reports that will be published in 2007 by the IPCC as part of its Fourth Assessment Report (4AR)
This report, from the IPCC's Working Group I, looks at the science of climate change
The other reports will look at: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; mitigation of climate change; and finally, the Synthesis Report
WHAT IS THE IPCC?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).
The role of the IPCC is to assess the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation
The global body does not carry out any research of its own
Its assessments are mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical literature
The First Assessment Report was published in 1990; the last one, the Third Assessment Report, was released in 2001
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