By Xinhua,
Wellington : The average temperature in New Zealand is likely to be two degrees Celsius warmer by the end of the century, according to projections from the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research released on Tuesday.
The government agency’s update of its 2004 projections are based on more up-to-date data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Radio New Zealand reported on Tuesday.
The agency said there has already been a 0.9 degree warming as a result of greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans.
In addition to the extra 2 degrees, there will be more winds, more extreme patterns of rainfall, fewer frosts and less snow cover.
The agency said the western side of the country is likely to become wetter, the east drier and all of the country to get warmer.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has also issued another report on climate change, saying climate change will bring longer growing seasons, and earlier cropping and lambing. However, droughts will be a bigger problem and the gains will be canceled out by the losses.