Climate heating up faster

[izzix]

Global warming 'worse than thought'

7 hours 37 mins ago
ITN
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090215/twl ... f21e0.html

The climate is heating up far faster than scientists predicted, a top climate scientist has said.


Chris Field, a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said it is being spurred on by sharp increases in greenhouse gas emissions from developing countries like China and India.

"The consequence of that is we are basically looking now at a future climate that is beyond anything that we've considered seriously," Mr Field said.

"The actual trajectory of climate change is more serious" than any of the climate predictions in the IPCC's fourth assessment report, Climate Change 2007.

He said recent climate studies suggested the continued warming of the planet from greenhouse gas emissions could set off large, destructive wildfires in tropical rain forests and melt permafrost in the Arctic, releasing billions of tons of greenhouse gasses that could raise global temperatures even more.

"There is a real risk that human-caused climate change will accelerate the release of carbon dioxide from forest and tundra ecosystems, which have been storing a lot of carbon for thousands of years," Mr Field said.

He pointed to recent studies showing the fourth assessment report underestimated the potential severity of global warming over the next 100 years.

"We now have data showing that from 2000 to 2007, greenhouse gas emissions increased far more rapidly than we expected, primarily because developing countries, like China and India, saw a huge surge in electric power generation, almost all of it based on coal," Mr Field said.

He said that trend was likely to continue if more countries turned to coal and other carbon-intensive fuels to meet their energy needs. If so, he said the impact of climate change would be "more serious and diverse" than the IPCC's most recent predictions.

[TJ]

It's just another professional global warming advocate scare-mongering trying to save his job.

Though people are still using automobiles and heating their homes, the weather is not warmng up. Studies report that Ice Age warming has halted for the past few years. What is more important, the oceans have been cooling. Do some googleing to educate yourself, if this is important to you.

[cookie]

Stanford Report, December 7, 2007
Chris Field attends Peace Prize event

Chris Field

Chris Field

Stanford University scientist Chris Field is one of 25 researchers who will attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and banquet on Dec. 10 in Oslo, Norway.

Field and his colleagues will represent the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. In announcing the award on Oct. 12, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the IPCC and Gore "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

About 2,000 scientists from 120 countries have contributed to IPCC's assessments of global climate change since the organization was founded in 1988 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Field, a professor of biological sciences and director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford, is one of six Stanford researchers who were lead authors of major IPCC reports. He is one of several IPCC panelists selected for the Oslo event by random lottery.

"It is an honor and a thrill to be part of the Oslo delegation," Field said. "It is fitting that the delegation reflects the broad base and science focus of the IPCC. The selection of delegates by lottery emphasizes the point that I am representing thousands of dedicated people, each of whom was critical to the success of the IPCC."

The prize will be presented by the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of individual Harald V of Norway.

[Aardvark]

So what the heck does all that mean ??? And as for Al Gore, he could do a better job of saving the World if he used mainstream airlines like the rest of us plebs instead of useing his private Jet

[laphanphon]

also try to get that electric bill at the estate below 30 K a month, reported once, though suspiciouly high. though to his credit or lack of, where he live, it is TVA, mostly hydro electric, so not too bad.

[jackspratt]

Aa, Al Gore does not have a private jet.

And when he does use one, he purchases carbon offsets to neutralise the emissions.

http://www.newshounds.us/2007/02/20/car ... l_gore.php

[laphanphon]

carbon offset

WTF is that, something like rape the neighborhood children, go to confession and drop some change in the collection plate and all is forgiven.

strip clear 10,000 acres of 50 year old trees, then plant seedlings, yea, that's fair. have an oil spill, then donate money to seaworld to feed killer whales to an early grave.

who thinks of this stuff, pay to clear you conscious or look good in the press. :frying pan: :frying pan:

[jackspratt]

Given that some carbon footprint is unavoidable for any of us, the next best thing you can do is try to ameliorate the impact.

Carbon offsets are likely to become a very big business in the future, and they are not just a creature of individuals - many companies are using, or looking to use them.

As far as Gore is concerned, I have no idea of what resides in his conscience. However, I do admire the job he has done in raising the level of the world's conscience and awareness about the impacts of global warming (assuming that it exists, of course ) =D> =D> =D>