Developing world won't take lead in climate fight

On page 2 of the Draft Garnaut Climate Change Review he cuts to the chase:

The work of this Review is directed at nurturing the slender chance that Australia and the world will manage to develop a position that strikes a good balanced between the costs of dangerous climate change and the costs of mitigation.

A slender chance that needs nurturing?

Australian emissions reductions are not going to make a big difference, on a world scale. But without them, we are not going to convince the developing world to cap theirs. As they told us a month ago:

Berlin June 8 The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and leaders of four other emerging economies, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, took the offensive in the debate on climate change asking the developed world first to make significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

"Greenhouse gas mitigation in developed countries is the key to address climate change given their responsibilities in causing it," noted a joint policy paper that was presented to the leaders of the G-8, the group of eight top industrialised nations: the US, UK, Japan, France, Italy, Japan, Russia and Canada.

This was a response to the assertion of the G-8 that cutbacks in emissions by only the developed countries would not be adequate; the emerging economies too have to do their bit. "We invite notably the emerging economies to address the increase in their emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of their economic development," the declaration of the G-8 had said.

The key to bringing them on board is their cheap access to renewable energy technology.

The emerging countries said that access to adequate technology was a key enabling condition. "We need an agreement on transfer of technologies at affordable costs," they noted in their joint paper.

Aware of the constraints that patents imposed on transfer of technologies, they said, "Rewards for innovators needs to be balanced with common good for humankind."

Like the man said... a slender chance.

Technorati Tags: global warming, climate change

Carbon dioxide up 2.4 ppm on last year

Here's the sobering bit: The average annual increase of carbon dioxide between 1979 and 2007 is only 1.65 parts per million (ppm). Suddenly, we are measuring a 0.5% rise in a year.

Researchers from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) reported new data that shows a higher than usual average increase in carbon dioxide levels over the last 30 years.

The recently released report from NOAA scientists is an annual update to the agency’s greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 regions around the world. Concentrations may have increased by as much as 0.5% from 2006 to 2007.

That was the consequence of the rise of China and India, Business-As-Usual in the United States and Australia, and, I believe, the successful shilling by the AGW denial industry (See post below).

The above link goes on to talk about a sharp rise in methane levels as well.

Global Warning Climate Change Energy

India to develop climate change mitigation policy

Global warming is a quantifiable problem — at it's most reduced it is directly related to the amount of previously sequestered GHGs entering the atmosphere minus the amount of carbon that is being sunk — and to tackle it you need a quantifiable solution. That is, you need carbon emissions reductions targets.

While it is theoretically a strong argument that it is India's turn to grow their economy so they should not have to tax their cheap fossil fuel energy, it is a short-term view. India is also one of the first-in-line, down-the-line, to pick up the real global warming tab which, in their case, is a not-so-mighty Ganges.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk India has taken the first steps towards developing a national plan on tackling the effects of climate change. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting of top government officials and environmental experts which agreed to draft a national policy by October. India and China are among the world's largest polluters and are coming under international pressure to agree to mandatory emission cuts. A recent report by environmental experts said India would be among the countries worst affected by climate change. In his opening remarks at the meeting of India's National Council for Climate Change, Mr Singh acknowledged the scale of the problem. The council will work on a strategy to offset the impact of melting Himalayan glaciers which feed many of the country's rivers and are a major source of water and power. A tree planting programme will also be launched to replenish 15m acres of degraded forests. But no mention was made of cutting carbon emissions. Global Warning Climate Change Energy

Indians most worried about global warming

Emerging economies like India and China are often accused of resisting the need to tackle climate change. But a new survey by Australian environmentalist, Jon Dee, published in the latest issue of New Scientist suggested that people of these two countries are most worried about climate change. More than we may be lead to believe if we just listened to those who would tell us to do nothing about emissions until the developing world is kind enough to pull its head in.

The survey was conducted by Seattle-based research group Global Market Insite. It polled opinions from 14000 people in 14 countries to gather solid data on how people feel about climate change.

clipped from www.headlinesindia.com Indians are far more concerned about global warming than any other nationality, despite the emerging economy being accused of resisting the need to tackle climate change, a global survey has said. Indians cared most about carbon emissions, with 55 per cent describing themselves as "very concerned" about the issue while just 32 per cent of Britons felt the same way, the survey conducted by Seattle-based research group Global Market Insite found. People in India and China are more willing than citizens of industrialized nations to place restrictions on carbon emissions, the survey published in the latest issue of New Scientist said. Australian environmentalist Jon Dee, who headed the survey team, says the findings fly in the face of calls for developing countries to wake up to the threat of climate change. Almost 90 per cent of those surveyed thought governments should do more to tackle the issue. Global Warning Climate Change Energy