Climate Change | News & Views

Scientists to review climate body

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the world’s science academies to review work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Work will be co-ordinated by the Inter-Academy Council, which brings together bodies such as the UK’s Royal Society.

The IPCC has been under pressure over errors in its last major assessment of climate science in 2007.
Mr Ban said the overall concept of man-made climate change was robust, and action to curb emissions badly needed. The Inter-Academy Council will convene a panel of experts to conduct the review, and will be run independently of UN agencies.

One issue that was raised at the UN news conference was how independent the scientists on the Inter-Academy Council’s review panel will be from the scientists who contributed work to the IPCC in the first place. “Let me be clear – the threat posed by climate change is real,” said Mr Ban, speaking at UN headquarters in New York.
“I have seen no credible evidence that challenges the main conclusions of [the IPCC's 2007] report.”

Robbert Dijkgraaf, the council’s co-chair, said the review panel will be chosen so that it includes both inside knowledge of the IPCC and outside perspectives.
“The panel will look forward and will definitely not go over all the vast amount of data in climate science,” he said.

REVIEW’S TERMS OF REFERENCE
Analyse the IPCC process, including links with other UN agencies
Review the use of non-peer reviewed sources, and quality control on data
Assess how procedures handle “the full range of scientific views”
Review how the IPCC communicates with the public and the media

“It will see what are the [IPCC's] procedures, and how can they be improved, so we can avoid certain types of errors.”

But Roger Pielke Jr, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado who has recently criticised the IPCC over its assessment of the costs of climate-related disasters, said the terms of reference appeared to have some significant omissions. “How will it deal with allegations of breakdowns in procedures in the AR4?”, he asked. “The terms of reference say nothing about looking at the AR4 procedures, but it would be difficult to do a serious evaluation without actually evaluating experience,” he told BBC News.

“Should it ignore the AR4 issues, then it will risk being called a whitewash.” Prof Pielke also suggested the panel might look at apparent conflicts of interest within the IPCC’s staff. The conflict of interest charge has been levelled against the IPCC’s chair, Rajendra Pachauri, over his business interests.

But standing alongside Mr Ban, he welcomed the review.
“The IPCC stands firmly behind the rigour and reliability of its Fourth Assessment Report from 2007, but we recognise that we can improve,” he said. “We have listened and learned from our critics, and we intend to take every action we can to ensure that our reports are as robust as possible.”

The review was demanded by world governments at last month’s meeting of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) Governing Council. The Inter-Academy Council has been asked to finalise its conclusions by August, in time that its recommendations can be discussed and adopted at October’s IPCC meeting.

>>> Read the full article here

World’s top firms cause $2.2tn of environmental damage, report estimates

By Juliette Jowit

Report for the UN into the activities of the world’s 3,000 biggest companies estimates one-third of profits would be lost if firms were forced to pay for use, loss and damage of environment

Black clouds over the central business district, Jakarta. The report into the activities of the world’s 3,000 biggest public companies has estimated the cost of use, loss and damage of the environment. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

The cost of pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world’s biggest companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable, a major unpublished study for the United Nations has found.

The report comes amid growing concern that no one is made to pay for most of the use, loss and damage of the environment, which is reaching crisis proportions in the form of pollution and the rapid loss of freshwater, fisheries and fertile soils.

Ahead of changes which would have a profound effect – not just on companies’ profits but also their customers and pension funds and other investors – the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment initiative and the United Nations Environment Programme jointly ordered a report into the activities of the 3,000 biggest public companies in the world, which includes household names from the UK’s FTSE 100 and other major stockmarkets

The biggest single impact on the $2.2tn estimate, accounting for more than half of the total, was emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for climate change. Other major “costs” were local air pollution such as particulates, and the damage caused by the over-use and pollution of freshwater.

The true figure is likely to be even higher because the $2.2tn does not include damage caused by household and government consumption of goods and services, such as energy used to power appliances or waste; the “social impacts” such as the migration of people driven out of affected areas, or the long-term effects of any damage other than that from climate change. The final report will also include a higher total estimate which includes those long-term effects of problems such as toxic waste.

Trucost did not want to comment before the final report on which sectors incurred the highest “costs” of environmental damage, but they are likely to include power companies and heavy energy users like aluminium producers because of the greenhouse gases that result from burning fossil fuels. Heavy water users like food, drink and clothing companies are also likely to feature high up on the list.

Sukhdev said the heads of the major companies at this year’s annual economic summit in Davos, Switzerland, were increasingly concerned about the impact on their business if they were stopped or forced to pay for the damage.

“It can make the difference between profit and loss,” Sukhdev told the annual Earthwatch Oxford lecture last week. “That sense of foreboding is there with many, many [chief executives], and that potential is a good thing because it leads to solutions.”

The aim of the study is to encourage and help investors lobby companies to reduce their environmental impact before concerned governments act to restrict them through taxes or regulations, said Mattison.

Read the full article at guardian.co.uk

Plastic rubbish blights Atlantic Ocean

By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News, Portland

The SSV Corwith Cramer is involved in the plastics research.

Scientists have discovered an area of the North Atlantic Ocean where plastic debris accumulates.
The region is said to compare with the well-documented “great Pacific garbage patch”.
Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association told the BBC that the issue of plastics had been “largely ignored” in the Atlantic.

She announced the findings of a two-decade-long study at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, US.
The work is the conclusion of the longest and most extensive record of plastic marine debris in any ocean basin.
Scientists and students from the SEA collected plastic and marine debris in fine mesh nets that were towed behind a research vessel.

We know that many marine organisms are consuming these plastics and we know this has a bad effect on seabirds in particular
Dr Kara Lavender Law, Sea Education Association
The nets dragged along were half-in and half-out of the water, picking up debris and small marine organisms from the sea surface.

The researchers carried out 6,100 tows in areas of the Caribbean and the North Atlantic – off the coast of the US. More than half of these expeditions revealed floating pieces of plastic on the water surface.
These were pieces of low-density plastic that are used to make many consumer products, including plastic bags.
Dr Lavender Law said that the pieces of plastic she and her team picked up in the nets were generally very small – up to 1cm across.

“We found a region fairly far north in the Atlantic Ocean where this debris appears to be concentrated and remains over long periods of time,” she explained.
“More than 80% of the plastic pieces we collected in the tows were found between 22 and 38 degrees north. So we have a latitude for [where this] rubbish seems to accumulate,” she said.

The maximum “plastic density” was 200,000 pieces of debris per square kilometre.
“That’s a maximum that is comparable with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” said Dr Lavender Law.
But she pointed out that there was not yet a clear estimate of the size of the patches in either the Pacific or the Atlantic.
“You can think of it in a similar way [to the Pacific Garbage Patch], but I think the word ‘patch’ can be misleading. This is widely dispersed and it’s small pieces of plastic,” she said.
The impacts on the marine environment of the plastics were still unknown, added the researcher.
“But we know that many marine organisms are consuming these plastics and we know this has a bad effect on seabirds in particular,” she told BBC News.

Nets are dragged half-in and half-out of the water

Nikolai Maximenko from University of Hawaii, who was not involved in the study, said that it was very important to continue the research to find out the impacts of plastic on the marine ecosystem.
He told BBC News: “We don’t know how much is consumed by living organisms; we don’t have enough data.
“I think this is a big target for the next decade – a global network to observe plastics in the ocean.”

Read the full article at bbc news

Bill Gates: the Most Important Climate Speech of the Year

When We Talk Zero, We Sound Crazy. When Bill Gates Does It, Bankers Pick Up the Phone.

On Friday, the world’s most successful businessperson and most powerful philanthropist did something outstandingly bold, that went almost unremarked: Bill Gates announced that his top priority is getting the world to zero climate emissions.

Gates predicted extraordinary climate action: zero. Not small steps, not incremental progress, not doing less bad: zero. In fact, he stood in front of a slide with nothing but the planet Earth and the number zero. That moment was the most important thing that has happened at TED.

Gates spoke about his commitment to using his massive philanthropic resources (the Gates Foundation is the world’s largest) to make life better for people through public health and poverty alleviation (“vaccines and seeds” as he put it). Then he said something he’s never said before: that is it because he’s committed to improving life for the world’s vulnerable people that he now believes that climate change is the most important challenge on the planet.

Even more importantly, he acknowledged the only sensible goal, when it comes to climate emissions, is to eliminate them: we should be aiming for a civilization that produces no net emissions, and we should be aiming to live in that civilization here in the developed world by 2050.

Why is this important? The news stories focused largely on the clean energy aspect of the speech, and certainly the world’s most successful businessman announcing that clean energy is the next frontier is a big headline. However, I think though that the real breakthrough was not Gates’ answer to the problem, but his definition of success: zero.
Bright green advocates understand that we need prosperity without planetary impact. In many of the circles I run in, this is an uncontroversial idea, and, indeed, the conversation has moved on, to discussing how we decouple better lives from ecological footprints (or even go beyond, and build a society that restores the ecosystems on which it depends).

When we talk zero, we sound crazy.

But when Bill Gates talks zero, he sounds visionary. Gates, whatever else he did Friday, just made the most important idea on the planet mainstream credible. That’s a big, big deal.

Please read the full article at WorldChanging.com

Another record broken for January CO2

mauna_loa_observatory_sign_150w Atmospheric CO2 was 388.63 parts per million (ppm) in the first month of 2010, according to scientific data released February 10, 2010, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States. Atmospheric CO2 was 386.92 ppm one year earlier in January 2009.

As noted in Atmosphere Monthly in January 2010, the 2009 annual mean concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was 387.35 ppm, up from 385.57 ppm in 2008.

These rising levels are significantly higher than the natural range (~180 ppm to 300 ppm) that existed for at least 2.1 million years until the start of the industrial revolution.

Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii (USA)

Green Events 2010 – One Life Live

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Book two tickets in advance for just £20, saving £15+, and be in with a chance of winning one of 20 introductory coaching days with The Smart School of Coaching worth £100 each.  ook your tickets now or call 0871 230 5569 and quote SSL.

Roz McLeod is the founder and owner of Tall Poppy Training and Coaching (www.tallpoppytrainingandcoaching.com) and will be speaking on the One Life Live Theatre – come along and hear how you can make positive steps to change your life for the better.

Book 2 tickets for £20 now and be in with a chance of winning a coaching day worth £100 with The Smart School of Coaching. Book now or call 0871 230 5569 and quote SSL.

If you’re interested in a more personal and in depth experience, book your ticket for a One Life Live Workshop. Get expert advice in a friendly and informal environment on everything from careers to health and diet and life change to making the most of your CV. Limited availability. Tickets will be on a first come, first served basis.

>>> Link

Eco-Friendly Schools

Wind turbines and solar panels will be popping up on schools across the country as part of a Government drive to eco2 educate children about climate change.

From today every school in the country will be offered a hi-tech smart meter that shows pupils and staff how much energy is being used at any one time.

Ultimately schools will be expected to go carbon neutral by improving energy efficiency through insulation, double glazing, using low energy equipment and encouraging children to turn off appliances. Schools will also be expected to generate their own heat and power where appropriate by installing solar panels, wood chip boilers and wind turbines.

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, said it was important people learn about cutting carbon at a young age.
“As parents know, their children have a real desire to become the environmental champions of the future and help save the planet for future generations – and we need to harness this interest and do even more,” he said.
The £12 million initiative to provide smart meters to every school will help monitor energy use. It can also be used as a teaching tool by demonstrating how different appliances and lifestyle changes can cut energy use.

See full article at telegraph.co.uk

MoreEco Joins Green Earth Appeal

MoreEco has joined the Green Earth Appeal partner program.The Green Earth Appeal is a partner of the UNITED NATIONS Environment Programme and is a social enterprise committed to the reduction of carbon emissions through the act planting trees.

They work with strategic partners, including MoreEco, to allow visitors to their site the opportunity to plant 10 trees completely free of charge simply by making 3 Green pledges.

The Green Earth Appeal and the United Nations Environment Programme are working to reduce the carbon in the atmosphere through tree planting. They are also promoting the use of renewable energy because 30% of the UK’s carbon comes from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Partners, sponsors and advertisers pay for the trees to be planted which promotes them as ‘Green’ companies. Working with the Green Christmas Appeal they are focused on planting 100,000 trees by Christmas 2010.

If you make 3 completely free and simple pledges to help Green Earth Appeal towards their aim they will in turn offset 12 months of your carbon. Although offsetting helps you should also reduce your footprint by using less electricity and opting for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

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Brazil’s Silva criticizes US stance in Copenhagen

COP15 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is criticizing the United States for failing to commit to concrete carbon-emissions reductions at the U.N. climate conference in Denmark.

Silva says the U.S. stance at one point prompted several European nations and Japan to reconsider the Kyoto Protocol, which he says would have been “very serious.” Under the Kyoto Protocol, 37 industrial nations were already making modest emissions cuts.

The U.S.-brokered Copenhagen Accord reached Saturday calls for, but does not require emissions reductions.

Commenting during his weekly radio program Monday, Silva warned that all nations will need to keep treating climate change as a priority to reach a definite solution to global warming.

>>> View other MoreEco News & Views Summit Summary’s

Copenhagen Summit – Day 12 Summary

The last day of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen ended with a group of countries including the US and China agreeing a deal which the EU early Saturday described as “not perfect” but “better than no deal.”

UK PM to push for legally binding treaty – At a midnight press conference Friday evening, the Prime Minister says he will lead an international campaign for legally binding treaty

EU: “The only deal available in Copenhagen” – While the head of China’s climate delegation thought “everyone should be happy,” it was uncertain late Friday night whether the “Copenhagen Accord” agreed by the US, China, Brazil, South Africa and India would win broader support among countries.

US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa reach deal - According to a senior Obama administration official the United States, China, India, Brazil, South Africa and South Africa have reached a “meaningful agreement” on climate change Friday evening.

New draft for Copenhagen deal - In a newly written draft named the “Copenhagen Accord” a 2010-deadline for reaching a legally binding climate treaty has been dropped, Reuters reported Friday afternoon.

Chávez felt excluded - Venezuela’s President, Hugo Chávez, criticized the UN climate conference for “a real lack of transparency.”

EU challenges US and China – The European Union makes clear it is ready to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels – if the US and China “do their part.

Obama: I came here to act - “Our ability to take collective action is in doubt,” US President Barack Obama warned the plenary at COP15.

Brazil ready to provide funding – “As the first developing country Brazil offers to contribute to the finance mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol – if an agreement is reached in Copenhagen Friday, says President Lula.

World leaders in last-minute climate talks - The UN climate talks were in serious disarray Friday, prompting President Barack Obama to upend his schedule and hold close-door talks with 19 other world leaders to work out a last-minute agreement on fighting global warming.

China and India signal progress on transparency – The world’s two largest emerging economies both respond positively to a call from US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. “We are 75 percent underway with a solution,” says Indian minister.

Hillary Clinton brings positive momentum - After statements by the US Secretary of State on financing, a number of key players have agreed on a draft text that will be discussed on the UN conference’s last day.

>>>Full in depth article visit COP15 and Act on Copenhagen

>>> View other MoreEco News & Views Summit Summary’s