The Stern Report

This cement factory in Hyderabad, Pakistan, has been blamed for the high incidence of lung disease in the region (epa) - The Stern report says the goal of stabilizing greenhouse gases at 450 ppm, necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming, is already "almost out of reach."

Danish Economy Minister Bendt Bendtsen (right) unveils a model of a cutting-edge wave-energy generator in August (epa) - The Stern report urges greater investment in low-carbon technologies. The global power sector will have to be at least 60 percent decarbonized by 2050 to stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Extreme weather brought snow to Victoria, Australia, in August, closing roads and schools (epa) - According to the Stern report, the costs of extreme weather globally could be 0.5 to 1 percent of GDP by 2050.

A cement factory near Changshu, China (epa) - The Stern report calculates that even if Britain were to shut down all its power stations tomorrow, the reduction in global emissions would be wiped out in just a year by increased emissions from China.

A polar bear suns himself in the Barents Sea region (epa) - Disappearing glaciers will reduce the supply of fresh water to more than 1 billion people around the world, the report says. Melting ice caps will raise sea levels enough to displace 200 million people.

A boy grazes cattle at a dump in Dar es Salaam in August (epa) - The Stern report notes that the world's poorest countries will feel the effects of global warming first and most severely, and will have the fewest options for coping with them.