EcoRadio

Category: Climate chaos

The atmosphere is to the earth as a layer of varnish is to a desktop globe. It is thin, fragile and essential for preserving the items on the surface.150 years of burning fossil fuel have overloaded the atmosphere to the point where the earth is ill. It now has a fever. Read the detailed article, Soothing Gaia’s Fever for an evocative account of that analogy. The items listed here detail progress on coordinating 6.5 billion people in the most critical project undertaken by humanity. 

  • World leaders accused of Myopia over climate change deal

     

    Senior officials and negotiators are increasingly gloomy about the prospects for a global warming deal next month, with the British government admitting there is now no chance of a legally binding treaty.

    Speaking as officials gather in Barcelona tomorrow for a final round of negotiations, Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said: “I gave all the world’s leaders a very grim view of what the science tells us and that is what should be motivating us all, but I’m afraid I don’t see too much evidence of that at the current stage.

    “Science has been moved aside and the space has been filled up with political myopia with every country now trying to protect its own narrow short-term interests. They are afraid to have negotiations go any further because they would have to compromise on those interests.”

    British officials say the negotiations have been progressing too slowly, and the best Copenhagen can achieve is a “politically binding” agreement. But they insist this does not represent a lowering of ambition for the talks, and say a political deal would still be a major achievement.

    “Nobody thinks we will get a full treaty,” said a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change. “Copenhagen must deliver a comprehensive politically binding agreement … This must cover all the major issues including binding economy-wide emissions reductions from developed countries, significant action from developing countries to slow their emissions growth, and finance. Only this can deliver a legally binding treaty which puts the world on a trajectory to a maximum global average temperature increase of two degrees and provides a fair deal for developing countries.”

    In an apparent effort to lower expectations ahead of Copenhagen, billed by Gordon Brown as the world’s last chance to prevent “catastrophic” climate change, senior figures are playing down the chances of producing a binding treaty.

    Yvo de Boer, the UN’s most senior climate official, said last week: “It is physically impossible, under any scenario, to complete every detail of a treaty in Copenhagen.” He added: “It is absolutely clear that Copenhagen must deliver a strong political agreement and nail down the essentials.”

    Lars Løkke Rasmussen, prime minister of Denmark, said: “We do not think it will be possible to decide all the finer details for a legally binding regime.”

    Hanne Bjurstroem, Norwegian cabinet minister and chief climate negotiator, told Reuters: “I don’t believe we will get a full, ratifiable, legally binding agreement from Copenhagen.”

    De Boer pointed out that the 1997 Kyoto protocol, the world’s existing treaty on greenhouse gas emissions, took several years to finalise and to come into force.

    Pachauri said although negotiations had not moved far and many leaders are playing down expectations, he has not given up on an agreement. “My feeling is leaders don’t want to be left with the responsibility for any possible failures so they are hedging their bets. They are downplaying expectations because if we don’t get an agreement that reaches people’s expectation, there will be a lot of finger-pointing,” he said.

    On current trends, he warned global temperatures are on course to reach the high end of the IPCC forecast of 6.4C by 2100 with dire consequences for social stability, food production and health.

    The Nobel prize winner co-ordinated 1,250 of the world’s leading scientists and 2,500 reviewers to draw up an IPCC report in 2007 that asserted climate change was a fact and all but certainly caused by carbon emissions from human activity. He said: “It is a fact that unfortunately negotiations haven’t moved very far, but that is not a major indicator of lack of progress because this is the way negotiations go. Often these things fall into place two minutes before the midnight hour. I am cautiously optimistic.”

    Pachauri said that a six-month or one-year delay in the search for a deal was not the worst outcome. “This is certainly not desirable, but if it meant a stronger agreement that addressed the seriousness of the problem, it may not be that bad.”

  • Climate change threatens lives of millions of children, says charity

     

    Its report Feeling the Heat, which is launched today, claims that climate change is the biggest global health threat to children in the 21st century.

    The charity predicts that 175 million children a year – equivalent to almost three times the population of Great Britain – will suffer the consequences of natural disasters such as cyclones, droughts and floods by 2030.

    It warns that more than 900 million children in the next generation will be affected by water shortages and 160 million more children will be at risk of catching malaria – one of the biggest killers of children under five – as it spreads to new parts of the world.

    Save the Children is urging world leaders to put children first during climate change negotiations in Barcelona this week, ahead of the Copenhagen summit in December.

    Ultravox star Midge Ure, a Save the Children ambassador, recently returned to Ethiopia 25 years after the 1984 famine which prompted him to create Band Aid with Bob Geldof.

    “Climate change is no longer a distant, futuristic scenario, but an immediate threat,” he said.

    “We’ve all heard about the East African food crisis but I’ve been in Ethiopia seeing first hand the impact it’s having on children’s lives.

    Erratic rainfall means farmers can no longer predict the weather and have lost their crops which are a vital source of food for their family.

    “I asked one farmer in the highlands of Ethiopia what would happen if the food aid stopped coming. He replied: ‘It is in the hands of the gods.’ Maybe we could lend a hand as well?”

    Save the Children’s director of policy David Mepham said: “Global leaders need to act now to stop the needless deaths of millions of children. It is still possible to avoid the worst predictions for climate change if governments are bold and commit to a binding international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when they meet in Copenhagen.”

  • CSIRO bid to gag emissions trading scheme po;icy attack

    CSIRO bid to gag emissions trading scheme policy attack

     

    EXCLUSIVE: Nicola Berkovic | November 02, 2009

    Article from:  The Australian

    THE nation’s peak science agency has tried to gag the publication of a paper by one of its senior environmental economists attacking the Rudd government’s climate change policies.

    The paper, by the CSIRO’s Clive Spash, argues the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is an ineffective way to cut emissions, and instead direct legislation or a tax on carbon is needed.

    The paper was accepted for publication by the journal New Political Economy after being internationally peer-reviewed.

    But Dr Spash told the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics conference that the CSIRO had since June tried to block its publication.

    In the paper, Dr Spash argues the economic theory underpinning emissions trading schemes is “far removed” from the reality of permit markets. “While carbon trading and offset schemes seem set to spread, they so far appear ineffective in terms of actually reducing GHGs (greenhouse gases),” he says. “Despite this apparent failure, ETS remain politically popular amongst the industrialised polluters.

    “The public appearance is that action is being undertaken. The reality is that GHGs are increasing and society is avoiding the need for substantive proposals to address the problem of behavioural and structural change.”

    Dr Spash said trading schemes did not efficiently allocate emission cuts because their design was manipulated by vested interests. For example, in Australia, large polluters would be compensated with free permits while smaller, more competitive firms would have to buy theirs at auction. The schemes were also flawed because: global warming was caused by gases other than carbon; emissions were difficult to measure; carbon offsets bought from other countries were of dubious value; and the schemes “crowded out” voluntary action by individuals. He concludes that more direct measures, such as a carbon tax, regulations or new infrastructure would be simpler, more effective and less open to manipulation.

    Dr Spash could not be contacted by The Australian.

    However, his presentation to the ANZSEE conference in Darwin last Wednesday stated: “The CSIRO is currently maintaining they have the right to ban the written version of this paper from publication by myself as a representative of the organisation and by myself as a private citizen.”

    Dr Spash said CSIRO managers had written to the journal’s editor demanding the paper not be published.

    CSIRO spokesman Huw Morgan said the publication of Dr Spash’s paper was an internal matter and was being reviewed by the chief executive’s office.

    However, he said that under the agency’s charter scientists were forbidden from commenting on matters of government or opposition policy.

    The CSIRO charter, introduced last year, was trumpeted by Science Minister Kim Carr as a way to guarantee freedom of expression for scientists.

    Senator Carr said he was seeking a briefing from the CSIRO.

    Opposition science spokesman Eric Abetz accused the government of empty spin.

    Julian Cribb, adjunct professor of science communication at the University of Technology, Sydney, said gagging scientists deprived the public of scientific knowledge they had funded.

    ANZSEE president Wendy Proctor said if Dr Spash’s research questioned current orthodoxy, it should be made public to inform debate.

  • Atlantic Rising: planting mangroves to fortify coastlines

  • Government slashes insulation rebate

     

    “We have also seen the industry grow enormously, creating jobs and supporting the economy,” he said.

    “The time is now right for us to make sensible changes to take pressure off the market, whilst ensuring this hugely popular program still offers generous incentives for households.”

    Transitional arrangements for people who had accepted a quote but were waiting for work to be done would apply, provided their job was completed by November 16.

    Extra safety precautions and consumer protections will be enforced too.

    Metal fasteners for foil insulation will be banned from tomorrow, and a targeted electrical safety inspection program of Queensland homes with foil insulation installed under the program rolled out.

    Mr Garrett said the proscription of metal staples or nail fasteners would reduce the risk of electrocution for insulation installers, after a Brisbane man died from that cause earlier this month.

    From December 1, the Government will also publish a name and shame list for any business struck from the installer register for dodgy behaviour, require two genuinely independent quotes to approve a rebate and demand a formal risk assessment of installation projects before a job can start.

    “There’s no room in this program for businesses that aren’t willing to stand publicly by the quality of their work,” Mr Garrett said.

    “Insulation installers are on notice that we will not hesitate to strike them from the register, take legal action and name and shame them if they are found doing the wrong thing.”

  • Surging dollar hits chance of deal on ETS

     

    But in the short term the expected forecasts are disastrous for the Coalition, which was relying on unallocated excess revenue from permit sales to pay for its proposed amendments to boost assistance to emissions-intensive industries, small businesses and electricity generators.

    The forecast estimates will dramatically lessen the chances of a deal in ETS negotiations between the government and the opposition, ahead of the second Senate vote late next month when the laws could become a double-dissolution trigger.

    The Coalition could reject Kevin Rudd’s proposed carbon emissions trading scheme next month even if the Prime Minister accepts all of Malcolm Turnbull’s proposed amendments.

    Senate leader Nick Minchin said yesterday there was no guarantee the Coalition partyroom would accept any agreed proposals, sparking government claims the opposition was acting in bad faith in negotiating with it over amendments.

    Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner demanded the Opposition Leader intervene to clarify the position.

    Opposition emissions trading spokesman Ian Macfarlane has insisted the cost of changes proposed by the Coalition would be covered by revenue from permit sales.

    “There’s $50bn in unallocated credits by 2030. And it’s about $20bn by 2020,” he said last week. “That’s how much they are collecting and keeping as a tax. There’s enough money in unallocated credits to fund our scheme — more than comfortably fund our changes.”

    But The Weekend Australian expects new government forecasts will show the continued strength of the Australian dollar will dramatically cut revenue generated by the scheme because permits sourced offshore become relatively cheaper in Australian dollar terms.

    As foreign permits, from international schemes such as the Clean Development Mechanism, become cheaper, more firms will meet their requirements by buying offshore permits rather than buying Australian permits at auction, and the price they are prepared to pay for Australian permits will be reduced.

    Unlike the US, Europe and Japan, Australia is not proposing to limit the amount of greenhouse abatement that can be sourced from overseas.

    Strong growth in commodity exports could also reduce the scheme’s revenue. The Climate Institute’s estimate of an $11bn surplus over the first decade of the scheme is based on the government’s assumption of a 3per cent growth in the emissions-intensive industries that qualify for free permits.

    The forecast estimates will be the first time the government has provided 10-year costings for its ETS. Climate Institute chief executive John Connor conceded yesterday that “all the risk is on the downside” to his estimate of an $11bn surplus over 10 years.