In January 2001, the _intergovernmental_ (1) Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest report on climate change. Climate models worked out by giant super-computers had become far more reliable since the previous report in 1995 and allowed them to _________ (2) the earlier projections for global warming. Their conclusions were that something very serious is happening and that it cannot be a natural process. The 1990s was the hottest decade for 1,000 years and the Earth is warming faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years. According to the report, human activities are _________ (3) to blame for the temperature rise. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and, due to deforestation, there are fewer trees to absorb this gas and recycle it back into oxygen. Methane _________ (4) have also gone up dramatically because of increases in rice culture and _________ (5), both of which generate methane from _________ (6) vegetation. These greenhouses gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and cause the temperature to rise. In the worst case, the resulting melting of ice-caps and glaciers would cause sea levels to rise by up to 88 cm, endangering the homes and _________ (7) of tens of millions of people who live in low-lying regions.

Unfortunately, there is far greater _________ (8) among the world’s scientists over the issue than among politicians. As long ago as 1990, the IPCC recommended a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide _________ (9), as the basic level required to return the planet’s climate to a healthy level. Governments globally failed to _________ (10) these proposals. Now that the dangers have been reaffirmed by the latest report, it is high time that governments took an active interest in exploring alternative, renewable energy sources.

(1) GOVERN

(2) PRAISE

(3) EQUIVOCATE

(4) CONCENTRATE

(5) CATTLE

(6) COMPOSE

(7) LIVELY

(8) UNANIMOUS

(9) EMIT

(10) ACT