Summary: According to Tim Flannery, a world recognized climate change scientist and Australian of the Year in 2007, a U.N. report due in November will tell the global economic boom, especially in China and India, has accelerated the levels of greenhouse gases to a point of irreversible damage. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is behind the report and claims greenhouse gases in the atmosphere during 2005 reached a level not expected for another 10 years. With such findings, the report adds urgency to the U.N. environment ministers’ meeting in December on the Indonesian island of Bali. Flannery also added reducing emissions might no longer be enough. He proposed developed countries, which have profited from an industrial boom over the last 50 years, pay developing countries to reverse any environmentally-damaging, economic development now taking place.
My Take: I think we are all out of good news when it comes to the effects of global warming. Not that we ever really had good news, but there was a debate for awhile on just how much damage to our way of life global warming would really do. Well, it appears our way of life will suffer and worse than imagined. Things are deteriorating quicker and quicker. Which makes me question what many Presidential candidates and our current government officials are saying is the goal – reduce emissions over the next 25 to 50 years? Do we really have that much time? What about not just cutting back our emissions but working to take carbon out of the air now. As this scientist says towards the end, just reducing our emissions might not be enough to avoid harm. We need solutions that reduce emissions and reduce greenhouse gases already in our air.
One other issue this article brings up is the impact China and India are having to global warming, which is far greater than expected. Again I say, as Americans, step it up and seize the opportunity to lead and profit from finding solutions. A Republican candidate actually hit on it in their debate this week; this is an opportunity for America to further itself by providing solutions the world. I feel as if we are thinking along those lines but there is still that last bit of skepticism or conservatism we need to break through.
Check out the article here
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