Environmental group Greenrock have called for serious action to be taken on climate change following the unveiling of a new UN report.

The report, the second in a series by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warns of the lingering effects of climate change including rising sea levels, ocean acidification and droughts in some regions.

Former Greenrock president Judith Landsberg, a current member of the group’s Board of Directors, said that the Island needs to start taking the issue of global climate change seriously.

“The rising sea level will have an impact on Bermuda, particularly on our lowest lying area — the airport,” Dr Landsberg said. “We all know how vital that is for our lifestyle.

“In addition the intensity of hurricanes and other storms will increase with increased day to day disruption. However, these are only the most obvious effects.”

She said worldwide water shortages caused by climate change and a growing population could lead to increased political instability in regions such as the Middle East and central Asia, impacting the production of fuel, while changing agricultural patterns will impact the cost of food.

And she added that as the climate warms, areas in Canada and Northern Europe may become attractive for tourism, potentially impacting our tourism industry.

“It is time that we took this seriously,” Dr Landsberg said. “We may not be a huge contributor to global CO2 as an island, but on a per-capita basis we are among the highest emitters in the world — much of this because of the fossil fuel transport embedded in our island lifestyle.

“We have an obligation under the Kyoto protocol to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions but even more, we owe it to ourselves to do all we can to reduce the degree of climate change that happens.”

Dr Landsberg called on Government to take the goals set in the 2011 Energy White Paper seriously by lowering greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent below 2008 levels, and for the public to take action themselves.

“We should all be attentive to our own emissions — there are plenty of things we could reduce with virtually no impact on our lives, for example packaging, single-use grocery bags, conserving energy in our own homes, keeping our cars in good condition so that they run efficiently,” she said.

“This is a conversation that has been very slow to start on the Island, but this is an increasingly urgent issue for the Island and in fact for the whole world.

“Climate change is not primarily a scientific concern, it is a human concern.

“The IPCC report points out that it is already affecting global economics and creating huge social issues. It is something that will have an impact on us all.”