10 years to make a difference.
The UK’s The Guardian has a story Energy review ignores climate change ‘tipping point’.
The UK must embark on a strategy to reduce energy use by insulating homes better and encouraging more micro-generation schemes, such as solar panels or biomass, Peter Smith, a professor of sustainable energy at the University of Nottingham, told the British Association festival of science in Norwich today.
“The scientific opinion is that we have a ceiling of 440 parts per million (ppm) of atmospheric carbon before there is a tipping point, a step change in the rate of global warming,” Professor Smith said. “The rate at which we are emitting now, around 2ppm a year and rising, we could expect that that tripping point will reach us in 20 years’ time. That gives us 10 years to develop technologies that could start to bite into the problem.”
Unfortunately, most ‘clean coal’ and other such technologies are still mostly sci-fi. We need to act now to reduce CO2 levels, and not wait for governments to make up their mind. Dr Smith concludes by adding:
“What will overcome [government apathy] is when there’s a 2 metre rise in the Thames so that the House of Commons is underwater,” he said. “The tragedy is that there needs to be a fairly catastrophic event to motivate politicians to take action then they feel confident that the public will vote for them next time.”
The Met Office predicts that the Thames estuary is the most vulnerable site in the whole of northern Europe for major storm surges before 2080. The existing barrage could be overwhelmed almost at any time – estimates suggest it could cause £30bn of damage to London and the surrounding area.
Our so-called leaders should be liable for the suffering they will leave as their legacy. — DS
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