The RSPB has sent a small group of policy advocates to Copenhagen to speak up for nature and call for a truly ambitious agreement to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. It's a no-brainer for us. We're a science-based organisation and the international consensus of climate scientists is that greenhouse gas emissions must peak and decline by 2015 to stop climate change becoming dangerously unmanageable for people and wildlife. For every degree the Earth's average temperature rises, 10 percent of Earth's species are at high risk of extinction. These are the almost-universally accepted facts. The recent email scandal at the University of East Anglia shouldn't detract from the reams of robust, peer-reviewed, grade-A scientific research that shows the Earth's glaciers are melting, its sea levels are rising, its average temperature is rising, some bird species are struggling to find the right insect food, and man-made gases are contributing significantly to the problem. For a terrific, no-nonsense guide to climate change based on solid science, with all your basic questions answered, visit http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ and/or contact the Met Office for their fantastic guide on 'Warming' (shown).
Meanwhile, watch this space for RSPB updates from the political talks in Copenhagen.