Climate change to hit poorest hardest

The experts on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change worked through the night fine-tuning a major report that claims climate change it is already having an impact on the natural world, the BBC reported.

As the summary language was finalized, several delegations, including those from the United States, Saudi Arabia, China and Spain, asked that the final version reflect less certainty than the draft did, the BBC reported.

"(The report) says quite clearly that climate change is happening and it is having effects on ecosystems and society, with particularly bad effects on developing countries," said Richard Klein of the Stockholm Environment Institute.

"So it is quite a bleak message but it's now up to governments to act on what we told them."

The panel of hundreds of scientists will send the report to world leaders.

The first IPCC report found that it's likely human activity is responsible for climate change. The next report, due in May, will look at ways to reduce global warming.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International