Far from just being an end-of-the-world scenario in films, climate change is now terrifyingly real.

 

In 2005 alone, the world was hit by the negative consequences of global warming—extreme weather conditions ranging from heat waves, severe drought, wildfires and bushfires, to major hurricanes that turned entire cities into ghost towns. In the Pacific, the rising sea level caused by the melting ice caps in the polar region threatens people’s lives and livelihoods.

Environmental groups say these are signs of an impending environmental disaster, and are the effects of climate change.

FYI
The six greenhouse gases and their sources are:
- carbon dioxide - produced from burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petrol, and diesel for the transport, manufacturing, and processing industries;
- methane – caused by the burning, decomposition, and digestion of organic matter in the absence of oxygen;
- nitrous oxide - through the use of fossil fuels, intensive use of fertilizer, and the disposal processes of human and animal wastes;
- sulphur hexafluoride - from used electronic components and in the production of magnesium and aluminium;
- hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) - from sources such as refrigerating agents, foam manufacturing agents, and propellants; and
- per fluorocarbons (PFCs) - used in refrigerating units and “clean” fire extinguishers.
Source:
WWF Pacific <http://www.wwfpacific.org.fj/what_we_do/ climate_change/about.cfm>
Wikipedia <www.Wikipedia.org>

A warmer Earth

Climate change is caused by global warming, brought about by the increased amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These heat-trapping gases are naturally occurring, but increased emissions through the years from human activities have caused the Earth’s temperature to rise.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that unless drastic action is taken “global temperatures will continue to rise and extreme events will become more frequent and intense.”

Considered by Greenpeace as the worst environmental and economic problem at present, climate change will destroy natural ecosystems and human communities if it remains unchecked.

Most at risk

The island nations in the Pacific, while the “least responsible” for greenhouse gas emissions, will be the first to suffer from climate change. With the rise in global temperature, the ice sheets in Greenland would start to melt, causing sea levels to rise and posing a grave threat to those living on the islands.

“In my village, there will be nowhere else to relocate to if the water extends to our settlement, as the village community is directly at the edge of the cliff bottom,” says Fijian Penina Moce. “We may end up swimming out to the ocean.”

Rising sea levels would also mean the relocation of villages to higher grounds and a less productive resource base. With less land for the islanders’ use, agriculture, reefs, and marine resources will be affected and livelihoods lost.

FYI
According to US government data, the total world carbon dioxide emission in 2003 from consumption of fossil fuels was 25,162.07 million metric tons. The top contributors were:

1. United States - with 5,802.08 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, or 23.06% of the world total
2. China - 3,540.97 million metric tons, or 14.07%
3. Russia - 1,606.42 million metric tons, or 6.38%
4. Japan - 1,205.54 million metric tons, or 4.79%
5. India - 1,024.83 million metric tons, or 4.07%
6. Germany - 842.03 million metric tons, or 3.35%
7. Canada - 600.18 million metric tons, or 2.38%
8. United Kingdom - 564.56 million metric tons, or 2.24%

The rest, including the other industrialised countries, emitted less than 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Source:
Energy Information Administration, posted on 11 July 2005, at <http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/ international/iealf/tableh1co2.xls>. There’s a solution, but…

The dire predictions notwithstanding, the solutions are within reach, according to Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Greenpeace is campaigning to replace fossil fuels with clean renewable energy that is both safe for the environment and good for the economy.

An amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), called the Kyoto Protocol, had been enforced on February 16, 2005. It intends to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide. As of September 2005, a total of 156 countries have already ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

However, both highly industrialised Australia and the United States have declined to ratify, making the treaty non-binding for both countries. According to the US Senate in 1997, the US would not be a signatory to any protocol “that would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States.” The US is the top emitter of carbon dioxide in 2003, accounting for over 23% of total global emissions.

President George Bush sustained the previous American administration’s stand on Kyoto, and indicated no intention to submit the treaty for ratification. According to him, his administration “is committed to a leadership role on the issue of climate change” but sees the treaty as a “strain” in the US economy.

At last—progress!

Jennifer Morgan, WWF director for Global Climate Change Programme, says that despite “tremendous pressure from the United States…to slow down progress in curbing global warming,” the First Meeting of the Parties (MOP1) to the Protocol in Montreal, Canada, finalised the ground rules for the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, setting the stage for discussions by governments to further cut carbon emissions after 2012.

“People know that the Kyoto Protocol is the only viable approach to combat climate change and the Montreal meeting has moved that process forward,” says Morgan. “Climate change is real, the solutions are here, and it is time for the world to take firm collective action.”

However, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and even removing excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might not be enough to reverse the effects of global warming. IPCC says that the vulnerable Pacific islands must learn to adapt to climate change or risk “high social and economic costs in the future.”

Climate change and the urgent tasks ahead will be tackled in an international forum in Geneva from January 23-27, 2006. “Climate Change: Energy and Mobility” is being sponsored by FEDRE (Fondation européenne pour le développement durable des régions), in association with the World Meteorological Organisation, the Economic Commission for Europe, and other organisations.

Sources:

Leahy, Stephen. 18 January 2006. “Challenges 2005-2006: More ‘unnatural disasters’ on the horizon.” Posted by the Inter Press Service News Agency at <http://ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=31736>.

Pacific Regional Environment Programme. 2003. “Climate change, variability and sea level change.” posted by the Pacific Regional Environment Programme at <http://www.sprep.org.ws/topic/climate.htm>.

Wikipedia. “Kyoto Protocol,” retrieved from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol>.

WWF. “Fiji: Rising sea level.” Posted by the WWF at <http://assets.panda.org/custom/flash/our_climate_is_changing/>.

WWW Pacific. “How does climate change impact our lives in the Pacific?” Posted by the WWF at <http://www.wwfpacific.org.fj/what_we_do/climate_change/impacts_on_pacific.cfm>.

_____. “What is climate change?” Posted by the WWF at <http://www.wwfpacific.org.fj/what_we_do/climate_change/about.cfm>.

_____. “Why is our climate changing?” posted by the WWF at <http://www.wwfpacific.org.fj/what_we_do/climate_change/why_is_this.cfm>.

_____. “World warms to new climate talks” posted by the WWF at <http://www.panda.org/climate>.