More than 300 meteorologists, environmental engineers, scientists and representatives from 26 countries or regions Thursday appealed to people of the world to take immediate action to mitigate impacts brought by global warming.

 

The delegates attending the International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC) 2007 in Hong Kong, however, failed to send a strong signal to G8 countries' leaders who are going to meet next week in Germany to discuss issues like Kyoto Protocol and global warming.

 

"The warming of the climate system is unequivocal," said a tone-softer "Call for Action on Climate Change" passed by the conference when ending here Thursday. "Rapid and continuing progress in ...human and natural drivers of climate change has led to very high confidence that human activities are responsible due to increase in man-made greenhouse gas concentrations."

 

"Discernible human influences now extend to other aspects of climate, including ocean warming, temperature extremes, and wind patterns as well as many physical and biological systems," it said.

 

ICCC did try to send out a message to the world by urging members of governments, the private, scientific and professional sectors to take immediate action to face up to climate change, saying it is "a matter of urgency."

 

The ICCC "Call for Action" appealed to governments of the world to set energy and climate policies incorporating principles of sustainable development, and ensuring that climate change and its management underpins all policies and to commit to targets in energy efficiency, carbon emissions capping and reduction.

 

"We did hope consuls of industrialized countries will send such messages back to their countries," Pro. Ir Otto Poon, chairperson of the Organizing Committee of ICCC, told Xinhua. "But we are not sure."

 

"Because the conference was organized by professionals, instead of governments," he explained.

 

ICCC was co-organized by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Institution of Civil Engineers, Hong Kong Association and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Hong Kong Branch.

 

During the three-day conference, engineering and environmental professionals addressed over topics on climate change, including the science of climate change and its correlation and impacts on carbon and markets, business sector, land and water, energy and infrastructure, buildings, and the responses and visions at global, national and community levels.

 

The conference also highlighted discussions on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Penal on Climate Change's work on the "Fourth Assessment Report."

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2007)