‘Earth’s temp rise rate equals heat from 4 atom bombs/sec’

Emission Of CO2 Higher Than Ever Before, Warn Scientists

Melbourne: Earth has been building up temperatures at a rate equal to the heat generated by four Hiroshima nuclear bombs every second, a climate scientist has warned.
    According to John Cook, Climate Communication Fellow from the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, humans are now emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other time in history of humankind.
    "All these heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere mean our planet has been building up heat at the rate of about four Hiroshima bombs every second - consider that going continuously for several decades," said Cook.
    In a speech on extreme weather in Sydney on Saturday, Cook said about 90% of global warming was going into the oceans, which act like a natural thermometer along with changes in land, ice, and animal species.
    He warned that distributions of trees are shifting towards cooler areas of Earth such as the poles or mountains, and animal species are responding to global warming by mating earlier in the year.
    "This is not because animals are getting randier, it is because the seasons themselves are shifting," Cook said.
    Cook said studies have tried to put a number on how much of global warming is caused by humans, "and the rough answer is, all of it".
    He said for the last 20 years, 97% of scientists have been in agreement that human activity is behind warmer temperatures.
    Hurricane Katrina and superstorm Sandy are just two examples of how extreme weather will intensify, it was reported in Australia's Climate Action Summit. At least 120 climate records were broken in Australia this January, including the hottest month and the hottest day. New colours had to be added to temperature maps to mark highs of over 50 and 54 degrees Celsius. AGENCIES

NEW HIGHS: 120 climate records were broken in Australia this January, including the hottest month and the hottest day