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ENVIRONMENT: Fighting Warming Key to Anti-Poverty Goals
By Haider Rizvi
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27, 2007 (IPS) - Driven by increased concerns and mounting
evidence of the threats posed by global warming, some of the world's most
eminent scientists are telling policymakers to get their act together
before it is too late to avoid a doomsday scenario.
Releasing a new study entitled "Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the
Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable," researchers said here Tuesday
that world leaders should take immediate steps to start reversing the
upward trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions, otherwise the current path
would lead to "serious" climate change impacts.
Prepared in response to a request by the U.N. Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) two years ago, the 144-page study outlines a roadmap for
measures to reduce dangerous emissions, alleviate poverty, and spur
sustainable development.
"It is still impossible to avoid an unmanageable degree of climate change,
but the time for action is now," John Holdren, a professor of
environmental policy at Harvard University and one of the lead authors of
the study, told reporters at U.N. headquarters.
According to the study's findings, the average global surface temperature
has already risen about 0.8 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels
and that may rise by another two to four degrees by the end of this
century.
Prof. Holdren and other authors of the study said the risk of climate
change could entail "intolerable impacts" if the average temperature level
reached more than two degrees C. above the 1750 pre-industrial level.
They observed that the world is already experiencing climate disruptions,
and the increases in droughts, floods, and sea level rise that will occur
in the coming decades could lead to enormous human suffering and economic
losses.
"We imperil our children's and grandchildren's future if we fail to
improve society's capacity to adapt to a changing climate," said Rosina
Bierbaum, former acting director of the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy.
Such an eventuality can be avoided, she went on to say, "if we manage
water better, bolster disaster preparedness, increase surveillance for
emerging diseases, make cities more resilient, prepare for environmental
refugees, and use natural resources more sustainably."
Other experts told reporters the goal to halt temperature increases beyond
two-2.5 degrees centigrade is achievable if policymakers are willing to
follow their recommendations for mitigation and adaptation to climate
change.
That demands stabilising atmospheric concentrations at the equivalent of
no more than 450,000 parts per million of CO2 (compared to parts per
million CO2 equivalent today), according to the study. This would require
global CO2 emissions to peak no later than 2015-2020 at not much above
their current level and decline by 2100 to about a third of that value.
The study's authors urged policymakers to take immediate steps for energy
efficiency in the transport sector, environmental measures in urban
construction, and expanded use of biofuels and other renewable sources.
"These steps will contribute to achievement of the U.N. Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs); failing to do so will make these goals much
harder, if not impossible to reach," said Peter Raven, a biodiversity
expert and former president of Sigma Xi, a U.S.-based research group with
more than 60,000 members worldwide that carried out the study in
collaboration with the U.N. Foundation.
Calling for increased cooperation among all U.N. member states, Raven and
others said they believed the use of environmentally-friendly technologies
could prove not only greatly helpful in reducing emissions, but also in
providing other economic and social benefits.
However, they noted that the current levels of public and private
investment in research, development, and pre-commercial deployment in
energy-efficient technologies were still far from desirable.
"Current levels of investment (in this area) are not even close to
commensurate with the size of the challenge and the extent of the
opportunities," they said, adding that the U.N. should promote
public-private partnerships that increase private sector financing for
renewable energy efficiency and investments.
Some members of the panel also expressed grave concern over the rapid loss
of biodiversity as a result of climate change, while pointing to the need
for speedy actions for sustainable use of resources.
"We are living in such an unsustainable way that in much of the southern
hemisphere, huge assemblies of species will be lost," Raven told IPS. "Our
sense of social justice and morality will depend on reversing the loss of
biodiversity."
The recommendations from the 20-member panel of scientific experts on
climate change, sustainable development and biodiversity will be
considered by the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development when it meets
in May.
Members of the panel told reporters that their findings fully complemented
the recent summary report of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC).
The IPCC's full climate science report will be released later in the year,
as will other chapters looking at the possible impacts of climate change,
options for adapting to those impacts, and potential ways to lower
greenhouse gas emissions.
The IPCC adopted the summary for policymakers in the first volume of
"Climate Change 2007", also known as the Fourth Assessment Report. It
assesses the current scientific knowledge of the natural and human drivers
of climate change and projections for future climate change.
The report was produced by some 600 authors from 40 countries. Over 620
expert reviewers and a large number of government reviewers also
participated in the review process.
(END)
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