Agreement Reached on Climate Report (IPCC)

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2007/may/03/050303271.html

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - International delegates reached an agreement early Friday on the best ways to combat climate change despite efforts by China to water down language on cutting destructive greenhouse gas emissions.

The closed-door debate over everything from nuclear power to the cost of cleaner energy ran into the early morning hours with quibbling over single words or phrases at times. But consensus was eventually reached on a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists and delegates from more than 120 nations.

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China, the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after the United States, took a strong stance during the four-day meeting in Thailand. Along with India and other rapidly developing countries, it had pushed to raise the lowest target level of carbon dioxide in the world's atmosphere over fears it would hinder their roaring economies, delegates said.

The draft proposed a cap on concentrations of greenhouse gas levels ranging from 445 parts per million to 650 parts per million, but China wanted the lower range stricken from the report over fears it would hinder its economy, Muller said.

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[Eugene]

1. Related: 'Deal struck' at UN climate talks - BBC

Source: BBC

Last Updated: Thursday, 3 May 2007, 22:43 GMT 23:43 UK

'Deal struck' at UN climate talks

-snip-

The current atmospheric concentration is about 425ppm,
and many climate scientists now argue that only agreeing
to keep below about 450ppm can prevent major climatic
consequences.

The IPCC draft says keeping concentrations at this level
could cost up to 3% of GDP.

"I can tell you that the probability for achieving 450ppm
in anything approaching the world as it now is almost
impossible," commented Professor Stephen Schneider
from Stanford University in California, who helped draft
the IPCC's first report this year on the science of climate
change.

"But a temperature rise over 2-3C leads to potential mass
extinctions, serious problems with coasts, mountain
glaciers disappearing, melting ice sheets... and one has
to talk about stabilisation at 450-550ppm range to have
a better than 20-30% chance of preventing that."

The IPCC does not make policy recommendations, but
even so China, with some other delegations, has sought
to play down references to the lower stabilisation levels.


Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6620909.stm