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I am a freelance environmental writer and web publisher based in San Francisco, California, USA. I write for the popular business and sustainability blog TriplePundit...
Is the International Target of 2 Degrees Warming a "Pipe Dream?"
12 Aug, 2009 08:59 pm
The Sydney Morning Herald reported late last week that research by Australian National University scientist Andrew Macintosh indicates that, based on most industrialized nations' stated mid-term commitments, limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius simply "won't work."
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Most major emitters have pledged an emissions reduction target of between 10 and 20% by 2020, leading to an 80% cut by 2050. And the near term target is "simply not enough," says Macintosh, "if you want to prevent warming of more than 2 degrees."
"It's simply not enough if you want to prevent warming of more than 2 degrees," Macintosh told the Australian Associated Press. "They know this. But what they're trying to tell everybody is no, it's fine, we can go for moderate cuts by 2020 and still stay within the limit. Even if a 20 per cent cut was achieved by 2020, emissions would have to fall by an additional 5 per cent a year in order to reach the next target. That's just extremely unrealistic [unless] we find some magic technology."Characterizing a scenario of moderate mid-term emissions targets making the 2 degree limit achievable as a "pipe dream." Macintosh says governments are playing "both sides of the fence" in an attempt to "placate everyone."
Over a period of several months, Macintosh ran computer models for 45 different climate change scenarios. His research suggests that the international community needs to either accept that the 2 degree Celsius limit will not be achievable or more drastic near and mid-term emissions cuts, on the order of at least 30% by 2020, will be required.
This report lends itself to our recent posts on the need for the international community to focus more on sustainable agriculture and forestry, especially this December at the COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen where world leaders will hammer out a post-Kyoto climate agreement. Focusing soley on emissions reductions is not enough.
Originally published on Global Warming is Real
Tom is the editor and publisher of GlobalWarmingisReal. He has studied environmental issues, and particularly climate change, for over two decades. He is also an associate editor and lead writer for the popular blog TriplePundit and a contributing writer for the Green Options Network and publishes the HistoryBlogProject.
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- Is the International Target of 2 Degrees Warming a "Pipe Dream?"
?Global average temperatures so far have risen by only about 0.8 ?C but there are two reasons why warming three times as great seems inevitable. First, there is a time lag of several decades between when greenhouse gas levels rise and when temperatures follow. The lag means there is another 0.6 ?C of inevitable warming in the pipeline.?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327174.500-world-starts-to-act-on-climate-change.html