[SustainableTompkins] Final UN Climate Change Report: THIS IS IT!

[Elan Shapiro]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/science/earth/18climatenew.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

U.N. Chief Seeks More Climate Change Leadership
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
Published: November 18, 2007  NY Times

>>>>My highlights/excerpts below, CAPS are my 
>>>>emphasis, See link above for complete article.

VALENCIA, Spain, Nov. 17 - Secretary General Ban 
Ki-moon, describing climate change as "the 
defining challenge of our age," released the 
final report of a United Nations panel on climate 
change here on Saturday Š His challenge to (the 
US and China) the world's two greatest greenhouse 
gas emitters, came just two weeks before the 
world's energy ministers meet in Bali, Indonesia, 
to begin talks on creating a global climate 
treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which 
expires in 2012.

  "Today the world's scientists have spoken, clearly and in one voice," ŠŠ
Members of the panel said their review of the 
data led them to conclude as a group and 
individually that reductions in greenhouse gases 
had to start immediately to avert a global 
climate disaster, which could leave island 
nations submerged and abandoned, reduce African 
crop yields by 50 percent, and cause a 5 percent 
decrease in global gross domestic product.
ŠŠŠ. Because the data had not previously been 
reviewed as a whole, scientists said the 
synthesized report was more explicit, creating 
new emphasis and alarmŠ..

"The sense of urgency when you put these pieces 
together is new and striking," said Martin Parry, 
a British climate expert who was co-chairman of 
the delegation that wrote the second reportŠ..
The panel, which was awarded the Nobel Peace 
Prize last month, said the world would have to 
reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 
2015 to prevent serious climate disruptions.

"If there's no action before 2012, that's too 
late," said Rajendra Pachauri, a scientist and 
economist who heads the IPCC. "WHAT WE DO IN THE 
NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS WILL DETERMINE OUR 
FUTURE. THIS IS THE DEFINING MOMENT."
He said that since the IPCC began its work five 
years ago, scientists had recorded "much stronger 
trends in climate change," like a recent melting 
of Arctic ice that had not been predicted. "That 
means you better start with intervention much 
earlier."

"IT'S EXTREMELY CLEAR AND IS VERY EXPLICIT THAT 
THE COST OF INACTION WILL BE HUGE COMPARED TO THE 
COST OF ACTION," said Jeffrey D. Sachs, director 
of Columbia University's Earth Institute. "We 
can't afford to wait for some perfect accord to 
replace Kyoto, for some grand agreement. We can't 
afford to spend years bickering about it. We need 
to start acting now."

He said that delegates in Bali should take action 
immediately where they agree, for example, on 
public financing for new technologies like 
capturing emissions of the main greenhouse gas, 
carbon dioxide, and pumping it underground. He 
said ENERGY MINISTERS SHOULD START A GLOBAL FUND 
TO HELP POOR COUNTRIES AVOID DEFORESTATION, which 
releases greenhouse gases and reduces the uptake 
of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

United Nations officials pointed out that strong 
policies were needed, like increasing the energy 
efficiency of cars and setting up carbon markets, 
a system that essentially forces companies and 
countries to pay for the cost of the greenhouse 
gases they emit.

The European Union already has such a carbon 
trading system in place for many industries, and 
is fighting to bring airlines into the plan.

"Stabilization of emissions can be achieved by 
deployment of a portfolio of technologies that 
exist or are already under development," said 
Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations 
Environment Program.

But he noted that DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WOULD HAVE 
TO HELP POORER ONES ADAPT TO CLIMATE SHIFTS AND 
ADOPT CLEANER ENERGY CHOICES, which are often 
expensive.

Mr. Steiner emphasized that the report sent a 
message to individuals as well as world leaders: 
"WHAT WE NEED IS A NEW ETHIC IN WHICH EVERY 
PERSON CHANGES LIFESTYLE, ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR." 
ŠŠ.

-- 
Elan Shapiro
Sustainable Tompkins Program Co-Chair
Sustainable Living Associates, Principal
Frog's Way B&B
211 Rachel Carson Way
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-275-0249

"We must be the change we want to see in the world"
	          Mohandas Gandhi