GRL - Canadian Science Team On Harper Climate Plan - "Maybe They Have A Ouija Board"

[hatrack]

EDIT

"Our results suggest that if a 2.0-degree C warming is to be avoided, direct CO2 capture from the air, together with subsequent sequestration would eventually have to be introduced in addition to sustained 90 per cent global carbon emissions reductions by 2050," the University of Victoria team concludes. The group's experiments indicate many emission reduction targets - which vary widely depending on the government proposing them - are "inconsistent" with the stated aims of the politicians, says lead author Andrew Weaver.

"They're saying: 'We don't want to have two-degree warming, so let's aim for a 40 to 50 per cent cut in emissions'," says Weaver. "What's we're saying is: 'If you want to avoid two-degree warming, then you need to get to 90 per cent cuts by 2050.' " California and Germany aim to slash their emissions by 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050; leaders of several G8 countries have proposed cutting global emissions to 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050; and the Harper government wants to cut Canada's current emissions by 60 to 70 per cent by 2050.

"In Canada, we have a history of just making numbers up," says Weaver, who sees little scientific rationale for the targets set by either the former Liberal government or the current Conservative one. "Maybe they have a Ouija board or something, and they all sit around in a seance," Weaver said in an interview. "There is no rhyme or reason to it. "

The current target set by the Conservatives is "nowhere near enough," says Weaver, stressing the need for the Canada and other countries to wean themselves off fossil fuels to curb carbon emissions from cars, factories and power plants that continue to soar globally. While two-degree warming globally does not sound like much, many experts believe it will be enough to trigger mass species extinctions and accelerated melting of polar ice sheets. Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN climate panel, said recently that some scientists are now questioning if the two-degree benchmark is safe enough.

EDIT

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=1a1d9138-5c01-4dfa-9882-c9bf19eb1704&k=532

[Nihil]

1. K & R (Love the title!) (n/t)

[razzleberry]

2. were the previous gov'ts any better? .n/t.

[GliderGuider]

3. Now they're saying we need a 90% reduction in emissions

AND we need to pull the carbon already in the air back out somehow. The warnings are getting serious Faster Than Expected(tm) as well.

While it's nice to see Harper and his merry band of zealots being called on their bullshit, I doubt it will help up here any more than it has south of the border. Paul Martin and Jean Chretien showed no inclination to cut GHGs and their slightly greener replacement, Stéphane Dion, is showing signs of severe electile dysfunction.

At least the events in the Arctic this summer got everyone's attention.

There are also indications the climate is changing faster than expected. The remarkable loss of sea ice in the Arctic this summer, which scientists and government officials have described as "stunning," has prompted leading ice researchers to say the Arctic may have already passed the tipping point and the summer ice could be gone by 2030.