Scientists update climate change position

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The world's largest scientific society of Earth and space scientists has updated its position, saying the consequences of climate change "are not natural."

"The Earth's climate is now clearly out of balance and is warming," the American Geophysical Union said in a statement released Thursday. "Many components of the climate system -- including the temperatures of the atmosphere, land and ocean, the extent of sea ice and mountain glaciers, the sea level, the distribution of precipitation, and the length of seasons-- are now changing at rates and in patterns that are not natural and are best explained by the increased atmospheric abundances of greenhouse gases and aerosols generated by human activity during the 20th century."

The statement updates the organization's position on climate change, including the evidence for it, potential consequences, and how to respond to it. It is the first revision of the group's climate-change revision since 2003.

The AGU has a membership of 50,000 researchers, teachers, and students in 137 countries.