Thursday, December 6, 2007

The Bali Declaration

The 2007 IPCC report, compiled by several hundred climate scientists, has unclearly concluded that our climate is warming rapidly, and that we are now at least 90 per cent certain this is mostly due to human activities. The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere now far exceeds the natural range of the past 650,000 years, and it is rising very quickly due to human activity.

If this trend is not halted soon, many millions of people will be at risk from extreme events such as heat waves, drought, floods and storms, our coasts and cities will be threatened by rising sea levels, and many ecosystems, plants and animal species will be in serious danger of extinction.The next round of focused negotiations for a new global climate treaty (within the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process) needs to begin in December 2007 and be completed by 2009.

The prime goal of this new regime must be to limit global warming to no more than 2C [3.6F] above the preindustrial temperature, a limit that has already been formally adopted by the European Union and a number of other countries.Based on current scientific understanding, this requires that global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by at least 50 per cent below their 1990 levels by the year 2050.

In the long run, greenhouse gas concentrations need to be stabilized at a level well below 450 parts per million (measured in CO2-equivalent concentration). In order to stay below 2C, global emissions must peak and decline in the next ten to fifteen years, so there is no time to lose.As scientists, we urge the negotiators to reach an agreement that takes these targets as a minimum requirement for a fair and effective global climate agreement.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

The Neglected Danger-Global Warming

Since 1980, the average global temperature has risen 0.2 degree Celsius each decade. Scientists predict that if we continue putting the same amount of green house gases into the atmosphere, that by the year 2030 the temperature will be rising as much as 0.5 degree C or more per decade.

Overall, the global temperature could rise anywhere from 5 to 9 degree over the next fifty years. if the temperature do rise, as predicited,several things could happen. The increase of temperature could alter the growth of crops in areas near the equator due to insufficient rain and heat. They could invariably destroy small islands, coastals cities and some shallow rivers.

Another cause of global warming is deforestation. Trees are being cut down mercilessly for man’s mere pleasure and for fulfilling his needs and wants. But the real consequences are a real danger for man kind. This problem of global warming due to deforestation can be solved by means of afforestation.but if not done; the earth and its inhabitants will become victims of global warming. And finally, a very important cause for this is, "the green house effect"-the green house gases carbon coming out from various industries and reaching the atmosphere and slowly depleting the ozone layer.

This may have harsh effects on the climate of the world. I believe global warming is a big threat to our nation and the world. If we do not act now, it may be too late. Although there is no sure way of telling what the climate will be like in the future we must take steps to ensure the health of the earth. If u look at what is happening to this world and u will see that there is a pollution problem. There are steps being taken to reduce the amount of green house gases put into the air. but it still is not enough, we need to do more to reduce global warming, if we don't do it now, future generations will suffer the effects of global warming.