The second of three reports from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded that climate change will have a significant impact on the environment.

The report, focusing on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change identifies changes that have already taken place and predicts the effects of projected changes.

The report concludes that climate change could cause:

• Between 75 and 250 million people in Africa to face increased water stress by 2020.
• Approximately 20-30% of plant and animal species to be at increased risk of extinction.
• The overall ecosystem to lose some of its ability to take up carbon, thus amplifying the effect of climate change.
• Crop yields to increase slightly in higher latitudes, but to decrease in lower latitudes, particularly in seasonally dry and tropical regions.

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