Humans have exacerbated global warming, according to the international report on global climate change released Friday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
UW-Madison climate experts said the report assesses issues such as the increase in temperatures and the rise of sea levels, makes future predictions and determines human contribution to the problem.
""I think what the report is showing is that what we do as humans is changing the climate in the sense of warming it and a lot of this seems to be coupled with the emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide,"" said Steve Ackerman, UW-Madison professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
According to Dan Vimont from the UW-Madison Center for Climatic Research, there have been issues with global warming for a long time because of diminishing improvement on efficiency standards like gas mileage. Vimont said energy efficiency must be improved to avoid drastic climate changes.
""The people who are doing most of the emitting are in the richest countries which is the U.S., and the people who are most likely to bear the brunt are the poorest countries which are in the tropics,"" Vimont said. ""We should have a sense of duty to the storage of the global environment.""
Ackerman said he believes if temperatures remain warm, the Arctic will be the most affected area because of ice sheets melting in the summer. Along with the Arctic, Wisconsin will also face noticeable climatic changes.
""I think the report that I have seen suggests that by the end of the next century Wisconsin summers will more resemble Arkansas, and Wisconsin winters will more resemble Illinois or Iowa winters,"" Vimont said.
Although Wisconsin residents will enjoy milder winters, Vimont said many winter enthusiasts will be disappointed, and uncomfortable summers will also follow.
According to Vimont, people can slow the effects of global warming if they stop questioning that it is actually happening and take action.
""The first most important thing to do is to get together and decide to do something,"" Ackerman said. ""People are going to have to make some sort of sacrifices in the way that they live.""
