Page 73 - DLIS402_INFORMATION_ANALYSIS_AND_REPACKAGING

Information Analysis and Repackaging

Notes 2001—Following the publication of the IPCC Third Assessment Report, seventeen national science
academies issued a joint statement, entitled “The Science of Climate Change”, explicitly
acknowledging the IPCC position as representing the scientific consensus on climate change science.
The statement, printed in an editorial in the journal Science on May 18, 2001] was signed by the
science academies of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, China, France, Germany,
India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
2005—The national science academies of the G8 nations, plus Brazil, China and India, three of the
largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the developing world, signed a statement on the global
response to climate change. The statement stresses that the scientific understanding of climate change
is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action, and explicitly endorsed the IPCC
consensus. The eleven signatories were the science academies of Brazil, Canada, China, France,
Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
2007—In preparation for the 33rd G8 summit, the national science academies of the G8+5 nations
issued a declaration referencing the position of the 2005 joint science academies’ statement, and
acknowledging the confirmation of their previous conclusion by recent research. Following the
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the declaration states, “It is unequivocal that the climate is changing,
and it is very likely that this is predominantly caused by the increasing human interference with the
atmosphere. These changes will transform the environmental conditions on Earth unless counter-
measures are taken.”

The thirteen signatories were the national science academies of Brazil, Canada,
China, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the
United Kingdom, and the United States.

2008—In preparation for the 34th G8 summit, the national science academies of the G8+5 nations
issued a declaration reiterating the position of the 2005 joint science academies’ statement, and
reaffirming “that climate change is happening and that anthropogenic warming is influencing many
physical and biological systems.” Among other actions, the declaration urges all nations to “take
appropriate economic and policy measures to accelerate transition to a low carbon society and to
encourage and effect changes in individual and national behaviour.”The thirteen signatories were
the same national science academies that issued the 2007 joint statement.
2009—In advance of the UNFCCC negotiations to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009, the
national science academies of the G8+5 nations issued a joint statement declaring, “Climate change
and sustainable energy supply are crucial challenges for the future of humanity. It is essential that
world leaders agree on the emission reductions needed to combat negative consequences of
anthropogenic climate change”. The statement references the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment of 2007,
and asserts that “climate change is happening even faster than previously estimated; global CO 2
emissions since 2000 have been higher than even the highest predictions, Arctic sea ice has been
melting at rates much faster than predicted, and the rise in the sea level has become more rapid.”The
thirteen signatories were the same national science academies that issued the 2007 and 2008 joint
statements.

Inter Academy Council
As the representative of the world’s scientific and engineering academies, the Inter Academy Council
(IAC) issued a report in 2007 titled Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future.
Current patterns of energy resources and energy usage are proving detrimental to the long-term
welfare of humanity. The integrity of essential natural systems is already at risk from climate change

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