by frog
Churchill that is. When one of the UK’s top scientists says “Prepare for global temperature rise of 4C“, we know we’re in trouble.
“There is no doubt that we should aim to limit changes in the global mean surface temperature to 2C above pre-industrial,” Watson, the chief scientific adviser to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the Guardian. “But given this is an ambitious target, and we don’t know in detail how to limit greenhouse gas emissions to realise a 2 degree target, we should be prepared to adapt to 4C.
Globally, a 4C temperature rise would have a catastrophic impact.
He said a two-and-half-year analysis by the government’s Foresight programme on the implications for coastal defences had more impact in the corridors of power than any other research on the effects of climate change that he presented.
No other single factor focussed the minds of the cabinet more than the analysis that I produced through that … We begin to have to talk about ordered retreat from some areas of Britain because it becomes impossible to defend,” he said. “There’s no choice here between adaptation and mitigation, we have to do both.
So what exactly are we seeing here? A capitulation that all is lost so we might as well begin our retreat, or a sensible hurry up and do something substantial before it’s too late message?
I don’t care really. Either way it’s about making clear the urgency with which we must act. There are huge time lags between our fossil fuel burning ways and their effects. Humans struggle with delayed gratification – and punishment.
So I am back to my original question. Where’s Winston? Where is that Dunkirk spirit? So far we see the Little Ships of Dunkirk in the form of carbon trading, new renewables, energy efficiency campaigns, etc. When are we going to see the big ships, the paradigm shifts and the behaviour change? When will we start to look past the obfuscations of the climate deniers and take stock of the risks we face?
Published in Environment & Resource Management by frog on Fri, August 8th, 2008
Tags: britain, climate change, climate deniers, dunkirk, Frog, frogblog, green, new zealand, party, UK, winston churchill
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
Hear hear Frog! I’d like to know where “our” Winston is too, and if he’s going to support anything like a decent ETS.
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Time to stock up on the sunscreen. I am getting excited!
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The Dunkirk spirit that would see a Green party prepared to get into coalition with either side of the house. Prepared to focus on the environment and sustainability. Prepared to pull on the chain of either government to reign in the runaway growth zealots.
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“When will we start to look past the obfuscations of the climate deniers and take stock of the risks we face?”
All who oppose us are “deniers” and not worth listening to. We are the only guardians of the truth. If you don’t see this you are a heretic.
Quite aside from that rubbish though, when will the Greens support taking an independent look at the science (Royal Commission), and if that confirms we need to reduce GHG emissions support policies that reduce emissions WITHOUT sending our industry off-shore and leaving us impoverished and unable to deal with the climatic problems if we are unsuccessful in staving them off?
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I get more confused by the day…how much will our best efforts off set, against the onslaught of wild fires, volcanoes, China & India?
Could New Zealand, stopping to emit over night, have any effect against these odds?
Is it a reasonable or responsible to create fear & despondency if the solution is a popular myth, rather than an attainable reality?
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