Earth is hurtling toward a warmer climate at a quickening pace ... 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages by 2020

UN Panel: Climate Change Accelerating | ARTHUR MAX | November 17, 2007 08:43 AM EST

VALENCIA, Spain — The Earth is hurtling toward a warmer climate at a quickening pace, a Nobel-winning U.N. scientific panel said in a landmark report released Saturday, warning of inevitable human suffering and the threat of extinction for some species.

As early as 2020, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages, residents of Asia's megacities will be at great risk of river and coastal flooding, Europeans can expect extensive species loss, and North Americans will experience longer and hotter heat waves and greater competition for water, the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says. ...