Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CLIMATE SCIENCE
Next 15 years vital for taming warming: UN panel
by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Jan 17, 2014


The next 15 years will be vital in determining whether global warming can be limited to 2C (3.6F) by 2100, with energy and transport presenting the heftiest challenges, according to a draft UN report.

"Delaying mitigation through 2030 will increase the challenges.... and reduce the options," warns a summary of the report seen by AFP.

The draft is the third volume in a long-awaited trilogy by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a Nobel-winning group of scientists.

Major efforts are needed to brake the growth in carbon emissions for a good chance to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, says the summary.

"(It) would entail global consumption losses of one to four percent in 2030, two to six percent in 2050 and two to 12 percent in 2100," the 29-page summary says.

These costs do not factor in benefits, such as growth in new areas of the economy, or savings from avoiding some of the worst impacts of climate change.

The estimates are based on the assumption that "all countries of the world" begin curbing carbon emissions immediately and that there are "well-functioning markets" to establish a single global price for carbon.

The report looks at options, but makes no recommendations, for mitigating greenhouse gases that are driving the climate-change crisis by trapping solar heat and warming Earth's surface.

The final version of the document is due to be thrashed out at a meeting in Berlin in April.

The trilogy is the IPCC's long-awaited Fifth Assessment Report, the first great overview of the causes and effects of global warming, and options for dealing with it, since 2007.

The draft document notes that global emissions of greenhouse gases surged by an average 2.2 percent per year between 2000 and 2010, compared to 1.3 percent per year over the entire 30-year period between 1970 and 2000.

"The global economic crisis 2007-2008 has temporarily reduced emissions but not changed the trend," it says.

Members of the UN, in global negotiations, have endorsed the goal of limiting warming over pre-industrial levels to 2C, but not set a date for achieving it.

Some experts say that on current trends, warming by 2100 could be 4C (7.2F) or higher, spelling drought, flood, storms and hunger for millions.

Over the past decade, more than three-quarters of the annual increase in greenhouse gas emissions came from energy (47 percent) and industry (30 percent), led in particular by activity in emerging giant economies, says the summary.

Emissions from the energy supply sector are on track to almost double or even triple by 2050 compared to 2010, unless there are major changes.

These include gains in efficiency, a bigger switch to renewables or -- provided obstacles can be overcome -- widening the use of bio-energy and carbon capture at power plants.

A similar warning is sounded for transport, where CO2 emissions could double by 2050 from 2010 without changes to fuel consumption patterns.

.


Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CLIMATE SCIENCE
Climate engineering - what do the public think?
Southampton, UK (SPX) Jan 16, 2014
Members of the public have a negative view of climate engineering, the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the environment to counteract climate change, according to a new study. The results are from researchers from the University of Southampton and Massey University (New Zealand) who have undertaken the first systematic large-scale evaluation of the public reaction to climate engineer ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
China's lunar probe observes stars, explores moon

China's moon rover performs first lunar probe

Internet Radio Provides Musical Space-Weather Reports from NASA's LRO Mission

Moon rover, lander wake after lunar night

CLIMATE SCIENCE
A Decade in the Dust

An Engineer With His Sights on Mars

Lichen on Mars

Megafloods: What They Leave Behind

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Working Together to Build Tomorrow's STEM Workforce

US Congress Rejects White House Cuts to Planetary Exploration

Commercial Spaceflight Federation Applauds Passage of Bill Providing Funding for Commercial Programs

NASA Space Launch System Could Make 'Outside the Box' Science Missions Possible

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Official: China's space policy open to world

China launches communications satellite for Bolivia

China's moon rover continues lunar survey after photographing lander

China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Cygnus Work Under Way, Normal Station Operations Continue

Spaceflight, Nanoracks Partnership Launch CubeSat Customers Towards Historic ISS Deployment

Orbital's cargo ship arrives at space station

Obama Administration Extends ISS Until at Least 2024

CLIMATE SCIENCE
NASA's Commercial Crew Partners Aim to Capitalize, Expand on 2013 Successes in 2014

Ariane Flight VA217; Ariane Flight VA216 and Soyuz Flight VS07

2014 set to be a very productive year for collaboration between Arianespace and Italy

Vega Flight VV03 And Ariane Flight VA218

CLIMATE SCIENCE
First planet found around solar twin in star cluster

NASA's Kepler Provides Insights on Enigmatic Planets

Powerful Planet Finder Turns Its Eye to the Sky

New kind of planet or failed star? Astrophysicists discover category-defying celestial object

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Malaysians protest rare earth plant on Australia Day

Potential Future Data Storage at Domain Boundaries

Quantum physics could make secure, single-use computer memories possible

ISS delays planned orbit raise due to space junk threat




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement