The world's leading climate history experts will meet in Wellington over the next two weeks for a conference on the history of climate change.
The conference, organized by New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science (GNS Science), will examine the greenhouse climate of the Paleogene period, 65 to 35 million years ago. It is believed that was the last time the Earth experienced global warming on a scale similar to what is being projected for the future.
Conference organizer Chris Hollis said there is growing evidence that temperatures in high latitude places like New Zealand have been far higher than previously thought.
He added that the delegates hope to come to a conclusion about how real the current climate warming is.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2009)