Diplomats begin talks Monday as evidence grows that average temperatures may rise 10 degrees this century. With gale-force winds, pounding rains, and severe floods from a harsh North Atlantic autumn fresh in mind, delegates from more than 160 nations meet in The Hague today to try to throw earth's climate a lifeline. In the near term, decisions made here could push up energy prices and stunt the growth of developed nations. Longer term, scientists and diplomats are making decisions now about the kind of world their grandchildren will live in. This meeting comes at a time when climate scientists are increasingly confident that human activities are behind the relatively rapid run-up in average global temperatures since the 1860s.
Scientists are reluctant to attribute Britain's current weather problems to global warming.
But some say it exemplifies the type of severe weather that could become more frequent as climate warms. Their concern is not lost on the diplomats. We have to deal with it for the sake of our children and grandchildren. To begin the process of dealing with it, negotiators will walk a tightrope, says Michael Zammit Cutajar, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The cuts would be made between 2008 and 2012.