The Shanghai report, meant to be the most comprehensive study to date on global warming, says new evidence shows more clearly than ever that temperature increases are caused mostly by pollution, not by changes in the sun or other natural factors. The report is the one of the most authoritative pieces of evidence yet to support warnings that air pollution threatens to wreak environmental havoc by causing the atmosphere to trap more of the sun's heat. The findings were unanimously approved by the roughly 150 scientists and 80 members of environmental and industry groups attended the meeting. In the most extreme projections, the report said, melting Antarctic ice could raise sea levels by up to 10 feet over the next 1,000 years. China is already suffering, said Ding Yihui, a co-chairman of the Shanghai meeting and former director of the China National Climate Center.
China is the second-biggest producer of greenhouse gases, after the United States.
Beset by smog from its heavy reliance on coal, China has begun a massive effort to shift to natural gas and other cleaner fuels. The Shanghai conference was the start of a series of meetings under U.N. auspices to gather evidence for climate negotiators. Other gatherings will focus on the social and economic costs of global warming and how to reduce it. The series ends in April with the release of a huge report in Nairobi, Kenya. A key conflict in climate negotiations is a U.S.-led effort to reduce the impact of cuts.