[NAEP] Climate change hoopla

[Dawn Wiseman]

This winter's odd weather has certainly brought climate change to the 
fore in both politics and the media, and coverage is about to reach a 
fever pitch.

This Friday, February 2nd, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
Change will release the first report, The Physical Science of Climate 
Change, of it's fourth assessment of the planet.

IPCC reports garner such attention because they are broad audits of 
the most up-to-date peer reviewed scientific research  on climate, 
climate change and its impacts. They are politically edited, but as 
evidence now overwhelmingly points in the same direction, they are 
the best overview of how things stand and where we might be headed.

Initial critiques of the upcoming report indicate it paints too rosy 
a picture because it was written without taking into account the 
recent collapse of two major ice sheets - the Ayles ice sheet one 
Ellesmere Island in Nunavut 
(http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/12/28/tech-ellesmereiceshelfcollapse-20061228.html 
) and another in the Antarctic.

IPCC reports are usually fairly accessible in terms of language and 
provide an excellent overview for those interested in climate change.

The new report will be available online Friday. Previous reports can 
also be accessed.
http://www.ipcc.ch/