Officials from 113 countries agreed that a much-awaited report will say that recent global warming was “very likely” caused by human activity...
The officials also approved language that said an increase in hurricane and tropical cyclone strength since 1970 “more likely than not” can be attributed to man-made warming, according to delegates Leonard Fields of Barbados and Cedric Nelom of Surinam.
In its last report in 2001, the same panel had said there was not enough evidence to make such a conclusion. The last U.N. report, in 2001, said global warming was “likely” caused by human activity. There had been speculation that the participants might try to change the wording this time to “virtually certain,” which means a 99 percent chance.
The new report is expected to predict that global temperatures could between 2.5 to 10.4 degrees by the year 2100 unless stronger efforts are made to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industry. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16922234/
Meanwhile...
Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company — $39.5 billion — even as earnings for the last quarter of 2006 declined 4 percent. The 2006 profit topped the previous record of $36.13 billion which Exxon set in 2005.
Revenue at the world’s largest publicly traded oil company rose to $377.64 billion for the year, surpassing the record $370.68 billion that Exxon posted in 2005.
Exxon Mobil’s record annual earnings followed a year of extraordinarily high energy prices as crude oil topped $78 a barrel in the summer — driving up average gasoline prices in the United States to more than $3 a gallon. Prices retreated later in the year.
