Humans "Very Very Far Away" From Meeting Even 2C UN Goal, Panama Meeting Hears

[hatrack]

THE world remains far away from meeting UN-backed goals on holding back climate change, setting the stage for major damage without more ambitious efforts to cut emissions, a new study says. Scientists who support climate action said that China, the largest source of carbon blamed for rising temperatures, is on track to surpass its own targets but that its overall emissions are growing more quickly than thought.

The controversial UN-led Copenhagen summit in 2009 agreed to limit global warming to 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, a goal some environmentalists say is already too timid.

At the latest UN talks underway in Panama City, the Climate Action Tracker, which aims to keep track of countries' efforts, found a yawning gap between governments' pledges and their track records when added together.

The planet is "very, very far away" from meeting the 2.0-degree goal, said Bill Hare, a lead author of the major 2007 UN scientific report on climate change and director at Potsdam-based research group Climate Analytics. "We are heading towards a warming of well over 3.0 degrees at present unless there are major improvements in the pledges," Mr Hare, who has advised environmental group Greenpeace, told a news conference.

EDIT

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/world-far-off-un-backed-climate-change-targets-panama-talks-hear/story-e6frg6so-1226158801574

[n2doc]

1. Forget about 2C. Prepare for 5C

We are a selfish, narrowminded, shortsighted species. Until the Oligarchs start to suffer (i.e. have no place to hide) nothing will change.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Too bad there's nothing the 99% can do to make the Oligarchs suffer now...

[Javaman]

9. Oh there is...

but that's not going to happen just yet.

and if things get worse, and I believe they will, then it's just a matter of time then.

[Javaman]

8. 5c if we are lucky.

recent models put it more at 7c. 5c-7c are basically civilization enders.

[n2doc]

12. The Oligarchs will have their Dachas on the Arctic Ocean

and Antarctica will be converted into a 'protected zone' for them. At least that's what I think they are expecting.

[Javaman]

13. interesting concept

I'm pissed I didn't think of that myself.

also would make a good novel.

Cheers!

[kristopher]

3. 700 Climate oriented NGOs criticize Japan for promoting nuclear power

From the same conference:

Japan criticized for pushing nuke plant exports despite accident

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan has been given the Fossil of the Day "award" at a U.N. climate change conference in Panama for pushing a scheme to promote its exports of nuclear power generation technologies to developing countries as a way of curbing global warming, an international environmental group said Monday.

The Climate Action Network, which groups some 700 nongovernmental organizations in 90 countries, said in a press release it had given Japan "first place" in the award for pushing for a mechanism for exporting nuclear technology despite the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The network said the Fukushima calamity "certainly destroyed the myth that nuclear power is safe and clean" and rapped Japan for its failure "to learn an important lesson from the accident."

In a working group meeting on climate change in the Central American country, Japan refused to drop the option of including a scheme under which exporters of nuclear plants to developing countries can earn emissions credits in the so-called "clean development mechanism," the network said.

The mechanism...

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111004p2g00m0dm048000c.html


700 climate action non-governmental organizations....

That's a lot.

[Gregorian]

4. Nothing is really changing. Population is still rising. Forests are being cut.

Fossil fuel use is on the rise.

There may be engineering going on, and some new products. But the overall reality of the situation is still moving in the wrong direction.

It's like the patient doesn't even want to go to the emergency room. We aren't even allowed to talk about the cause of illness.

I'm very pessimistic about where this is going. Meanwhile, I know weather isn't climate, but I've just experienced rain in early October like I've never seen it in my life.

Welcome to extreme world.

[GliderGuider]

6. Take heart - there's a global depression coming.

That will put paid to a lot of the human activities that are mutilating the planet.

[XemaSab]

5. .

[Javaman]

7. There is a subtle shift going on in the world regarding climate change

from "we can beat this" to "how can we live with this".

the various nations of the planet had plan but either they didn't pay attention to it or they were to broke to enforce it. I believe it was more that they didn't pay attention to it.

And so, here we are. Things are getting worse. If it hasn't already it will get to a point that no matter what we do, we will have zero effect on the temp going up.

The reality is this: carbon stays in the air for thousands of years. There is still carbon in the air from when Rome burned during Nero's rule.

Until we figure out a way to physically clean the air other than not adding more CO2 to it, sadly, we really won't effect much.

This train has been running down this track since 1857 when oil was first discovered in Pennsylvania and it won't stop until it either runs out of fuel or smashes into a wall. At the rate things are going, it will be smash into the wall sort of ending.

[The2ndWheel]

10. So from conquer and control of to evolve and adapt to

Hopefully. Attempted dominance eventually has a price to be paid.

[Javaman]

11. Yep.

as the song goes, "everybody wants to rule the world".

in that never ending quest, materials and people get burned up.

all the wars that have ever been fought have been over resources.Oh sure, they can be dressed up as grudge matched between royal families or "saving the world": from this or that, but in the end, it's always about resources.

It's ironic to think that people go to war for resources to support their civilization. They have to have an army to protect that same civilization, then to go to war to get resources to sustain and expand that civilization. But in order to expand and sustain that civilization you need an army and the army needs resources so it can fight more wars.

just one look at iraq and afghanistan and soon pakistan and you will see that the US now fights wars only so it can get resources to fight more wars.

the US military is the single largest user of fossil fuels in the US. The air-force alone accounts for 51% of the military's fuel budget.

So why are we fighting wars again?

it's really a sad irony, that we have to be convinced to support these wars when they have less then zero benefit for the average person.