Climate Change : data collection

Working groupİİ of the İPCC, Report on climate Change, April 6, points with regret to notable lack of geographic balance in data and literature on observed changes, with marked scarcity in develping countries. A figure in the report reveals that 28,671 significant observed changes in biological systems from around the globe of which the report made use, 28,115 originated from Europe. Just 2 were from Africa. This disparity is all the more alarming because as the report makes clear, it is in Africa and and other parts of the develping world that such data are most sorely needed. The data are needed so that fplicy makers can know what is happening to crops, to river flow, to soil moisture and make appropriate use of the information.

Nature, April 2007