On Saturday, during the yearly gathering of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, researchers revealed that global warming is a more complex problem that it had been previously believed.

Scientists pointed out that the rate of climate change is significantly higher than expected and that governments must take immediate measures in order to counterattack the consequences of global warming.

It seems that the levels of greenhouse gases have increased dramatically during the last period, meaning that negative effects, such as increasing temperatures, have become more visible, too. The researchers went as far as they stated that no previous simulation of Earth’s climatic pattern was able to show the extent of the outcomes of climate change on our planet.

Christopher Field, director at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University and member of U.N.’s Panel on Climate Change, stated that the United Nations’ prediction for greenhouse gas emissions for the years 2000-2007 has been by far exceeded.

Field stated that it is most likely that developing countries may have contributed to this increase, due to their increasing use of coal. Coal is known for releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases as it burns.

Field added that scientists discovered that the inner layers of the arctic permafrost melt as temperatures rise. However, permafrost contains significant quantities of carbon dioxide and methane, which further contribute to the global warming, leading to a dangerous vicious circle.

The United Nations Panel on Climate Change stated that we should prevent from producing 100 to 500 million tons of carbon dioxide every century to minimize the risks of global warming. In order to do this, the panel will release the next assessment of our planet’s climate progress in 2014.