BBC News Online: World: Europe

British scientists warn about global warming

A group of scientists in Britain have predicted that global warming could increase at a faster rate in the coming century than many experts have previously estimated.

Researchers at the government-funded Hadley Centre for Climate Research say that the world's forests and oceans may not absorb as much of the harmful greenhouse gases which are raising the planet's temperature as had been previously hoped.

They estimate that this could lead to temperature increases by the end of the century of as much as eight degrees Celsius -- about a third higher than calculated by many other experts.

An independent scientist at Princeton University in the United States -- commenting on the new research -- cautioned that it was extremely difficult to predict such changes. But he said that if the British scientists' predictions proved accurate, they might further highlight the daunting task faced in trying to reduce the level of greenhouse gases.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service