“ONE WORLD, ONE GOAL”
GLOBAL WARMING
On February 2, 2007 the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had over 2,500 scientists from over 113 countries, ‘unanimously agree’ that we are over 90% responsible for Global Warming with greenhouse gases (CO2). Since 1994, twelve of the hottest years in history have been recorded, with 2007 being the hottest year to date. On April 7, 2007 the IPCC forecasted that by 2080; water shortages will threaten more than 3.2 billion people; over 100 million people each year will lose their homes due to rising sea levels; over 80 million new cases of diseases such as Malaria will develop around the world every year; and more than 50% of all plant and animal life will be extinct forever.
The World's Scientists Now Agree
International scientists hailed a United Nations report released in Paris on February 2, 2007 that said,“Human activity was the cause of Global Warming and that higher temperatures and rising sea levels would continue for centuries, regardless of reductions in current gas (CO2) emissions."
Achim Steiner, the executive director of the United Nations Environmental Program stated that;“It’s critical that we look at this report … as a moment where the focus of attention will shift from whether climate change is linked to human activity, whether science is sufficient, TO WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. The public should not sit back and say ’there’s nothing we can do’. Anyone who would continue to risk inaction on the basis of the evidence presented here will one day in the history books be considered irresponsible.”
On March 13 2009, over 2,000 scientists from the IPCC met once again to discuss their updated findings from their initial 2007 reports. I repeat that what you just read about was a watered down version of their predictions from 2007. In this 2009 meeting new findings were disclosed and worry was the major feeling in the air. “The worst case IPCC scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realized,” a team of scientists wrote in a concluding statement. “There is a significant risk that many of the trends will accelerate, leading to an increasing risk of abrupt or irreversible climatic shifts.”
The top 10 industrialized nations in the world currently account for 75% of the world’s total pollution and contribution to Global Warming. The year 2006 is the first time in history that the United States has lost the number one spot. It is estimated, that since China is currently building over 2 new coal-fired plants each week (as of 2009) that they will be contributing the same amount as the current world total CO2 by 2050. India is also expected to climb to 15% of the world total also by 2050. Today more than 85% of the world’s energy comes from a Hydrocarbon economy, more commonly known as the burning of fossil fuels. Over 90% of all man-made CO2 comes from burning coal (41%), oil (39%) and natural gas (20%).
So how IRONIC would it be that these amazingly versatile products could eventually lead
to the total elimination of every living creature, including mankind,
on the only planet ever created for humans to survive?
You may think that statement to be impossible, but less than 100 years from now the people left on this planet will be faced with this possibility if we do not begin to change now. It all however, boils down to our choices. The only true reason that most of the world leaders do not quickly act to fix the problem, is the simple fact that the world economy is based first on oil consumption for transportation and products, then coal and natural gas consumption for energy. Greed, power and fear of change have allowed us to follow the wrong path for too long. It is true that pollution and its consequences are as bad as we have heard. It is true that Global Warming and its consequences to come are as bad as predicted and it is true that the CAUSE of both these problems is our current energy choices. We know the truth already, so we do not need to continue spending more time deciding whether or not to change.
So, are we even trying to fix this problem today? Well, under the “Kyoto Accord” in 2005, 141 out of the world’s 193 nations committed to reducing emissions by an average of only 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. However, considering that the world’s newest largest polluter China, the former largest polluter (now #2) the United States, and fast growing polluters like India, are NOT part of this world-wide agreement, there is no chance of the worlds greenhouse gases being reduced at all. My fossil fuel rich country Canada, which did sign the Kyoto accord, is currently 33% over the required 1990 Kyoto goal level and in Nov 2007, admitted that will not meet their commitment levels. UNLESS, we make them change together!