Worrying from a conservation perspective is the rate at which temperature change is predicted. Life on this planet has adapted before to major climate changes, but this could be at 100 times the rate of earlier changes. Species may not be able to migrate that fast . Even where they can many of our ecosystems are so fra gmented into unconnected areas , that species that cannot jump the gaps will not be able to migrate. We face the prospect of having to intervene to rescue many species of plants and animals , but just which is little known as yet.
Some climate change is now inevitable.
Cl early there is the need to act to limit its extent by the world re d ucing g reenhouse gas emissions , but even optimistic scenarios fo r emission reduction s show the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubling. Much more science is needed to judge the impacts so we can start to adapt. That is a task for central and regional government to address as well as at risk industries. A conference under UN auspices in The Hague last November was supposed to set the rules for how the world would tackle the problem . However th at is conference broke up without agreement.