CO2 row threatens climate report

[YankeyMCC]

Source: BBC

(snip)
Campaigners say the IPCC's economics report has based its recommendations on the safe limit of atmospheric CO2 being 550 parts per million (ppm).

But more recent scientific studies now put that figure at 450ppm, they argue.
(snip)

(snip)
The draft text of the technical report, which will be used by governments around the world as the basis for national climate policies, concludes that tackling climate change is both achievable and affordable.

But environmental groups say the findings need to be re-evaluated because it is based on the idea that global atmospheric CO2 levels can be stabilised at 550ppm without risking dangerous climate change.

"If governments decided to stabilise at 550ppm, I think we would see dramatic impacts around the world," said Stephanie Tunmore, a Greenpeace spokeswoman.

"Hundreds of millions more people would be at risk from water shortages, and it looks - from recent evidence - as though we would start to lose the massive ice sheets at the poles, resulting in sea level rises."
(snip)

(snip)
Attempts to change the emphasis of the report to reflect the new figures have been angrily resisted by Chinese delegates at the conference.
(snip)


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6615025.stm

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Honestly I can think of nothing to say. When the Chinese and other developing nations point to the rich 'developed' nations as needing to take primary responsibility they have a point but that isn't the end of the discussion, the so called developed countries have a high level of responsibility for the current situation because the path to this 'developed' state was flawed - let's not expand on that flawed path by keeping it open and unaltered for billions more to follow.

I guess I could think of something to say after all.

[Javaman]

1. Personally, I think there is way to much focus on CO2 alone..

as bad as it is, Methane is far worse.

I fear we are concentrating to much on it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. See a Monbiot article I just posted in Editorials

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=279087&mesg_id=279087

There's sleight of hand going on with "CO2" figures, and "CO2 equivalent" figures.

[Javaman]

4. Thank! nt

[The2ndWheel]

2. Too late

I doubt you can stop this species from destroying the habitat to save ourselves from it.

[Barrett808]

5. Wow, 450ppm is acceptable?

That's way above the average value for the last several million years. We know from recent work that the wheels come off the biosphere at 1000ppm (Permian-Triassic mass extinction 250mybp, PETM 55mybp). This figure is halfway to the mass extinction value, which seems far too high for comfort.