Albert: Some of us view these European statements as more than creeping socialism, perhaps gallopping socialism; rather than environmentalism. They are political statements, not scientific ones.
d. On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Albert Kallio <[email protected]>wrote: > *Hi All,* > > Janne Bjorklund from Suomen Luonnonsuojelu Liitto (the main Finnish nature > conservation foundation) kindly forwarded us at the FIPC/Indianice this > e-mail that is translated below from the Helsingin Sanomat (the chief daily > newspaper in Finland). > > In general Dr Petteri Taalas' (the Director of the Finnish Meteorological > Office and Finland's IPCC-groups chairman) statements below parallel > the recent tone that was put forward by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of > Canterbury, the leader of the World-Wide Anglican Church, that appeared in > several papers here in the UK press. > > It is clear from Drs Williams' and Taalas' comments that our favoured, > current economic model "business-as-usual" or "laizzez faire" where no > severe curtailment efforts of GHGs are implemented is a certain road for the > humankind's ultimate self-destruction - if nothing is done. However, the > economic interests resisting industrial and transport changes are strong, > polishing the cherished illusion of indefinite economic and population > growth to supply us jobs as more young families renovate homes and are > economically active, sustain our pension schemes' liabilities, find more > fossil fuels to increase private cars, planes and boats, intercontinental > tourist journeys indefinitely from current levels (already too high). > > Good job of warning from both of these leading lights on addressing the > climate danger! > > *With kind regards,* > * > Yours sincerely,* > > *Veli Albert Kallio*, FRGS > > Frozen Istmuses' Protection Campaign > of the Arctic and North Atlantic Ocean > & Indianice Sea-Level Research Group. > > ------------------------------ > > Translation: FIPC > > *Helsingin Sanomat* > > QUEST WRITER > The Warming Climate can threaten human existence 26.3.2009 0:00 > > Petteri Taalas > > > > During the last couple of years the research has turned up disturbing > effects about the climate change. According to these studies it can be > concluded, that at its current extent the climate change is even a threat to > the continued existence of mankind. > > A couple of thousands scientists met 10.–12. March 2009 in Copenhagen to > update the latest discoveries about the climate change. The latest research > will be utilized during the summit in Copenhagen in December that discusses > the climate. > > World's scientific community has compiled its knowledge about the climate > change in the Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change (IPCC)'s > reports. The fourth report was published in year 2007, but the studies it > reported are at least three years old. > > The latest studies indicate that the carbon dioxide emissions have > increased during the last eight years more vigorously that was previously > forecasted. > > The IPCC-report of 2007 was based on assumption that the worst climate > scenario was the emissions growth at 2,4% annually. During the last eight > years the emissions have, however, been grown at 3,3% annually, or 40% more > than in the earlier worst case scenario that was assumed. > > The deteriorating situation is caused by the increase in use of coal-fired > power generation especially in the large economies of Asia. If the situation > continues in the same manner, the climate change progresses even faster than > before. By the end of this century, the state of the climate can be even > unsuitable for the humankind's continued existence. > > The melting of terrestrial and marine ice has accelerated. Greenland's ice > sheet is melting faster than before, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is > also calving icebergs into the ocean more than before. In Greenland, there > is also a risk that sea water could penetrate under the ice dome, > which would accelerate its melting considerably. > > The Arctic sea ice area has been record small during the last two years, > and multi year sea ice area has been shrinking faster than ever. A partial > cause of melting is the warming up of the sea water and also the sea ice > escape towards the warmer parts of the ocean. > > Mountain glaciers are melting at escalating speed. This threatens future > agriculture, economical viability of industries and peoples access to the > fresh water on the catchment areas of several large rivers across all the > continents. The shrinkage of mountain glaciers leads into reduction in the > amount of melted fresh water that is released into the rivers. > > During the last decades the sea level has increased average 1,8 millimetres > per annum. Between 1993 and 2008 the sea level rise has been 3,2 millimetres > per annum. > > After the latest research, the estimated sea level rise will have to be > revised upwards. > > According to the research results published in the respectable science > journals, it is possible, that the sea level could rise by year 2100 between > 75–190 centimetres; by year 2200 the sea level rise could be 150–350 and by > year 2300 it could be 250–510 centimetres. However, the sea level rise is > not evenly distributed across the globe. > > Coastal floods occur nowadays more frequently than before. A flood that > tended to occur once every 5 years occurs now every second year. A flood > that used to occur only once in a century begins to occur several times a > year when the sea level has risen, after a few decades, by about a half of a > metre. > > Swedish physicist Svante Arrhenius presented a theory already back in 1898 > that the behaviour of the atmosphere will change if the proportion of > greenhouse gases increases. > > In recent times the research has looked at the climatic tipping points that > take the climate to new equilibrium states when the atmospheric chemical > composition changes. The changes in the routes of the athmospheric > depression systems, or the global high and low pressure systems change the > climatic influence over large regions. > > For example, the last few years' exceptionally mild winters in Europe have > mainly been caused by the changes that have occurred in the prevailing > routes of the athmospheric depression systems. These kinds of changes are > necessary to be accounted for when the individual countries are drafting > their own future climate change assessments. > > According to the latest research, the Amazon's regional climate has been > calculated to be changing unfavourably, against its current ecological > system. 70 per cent of the Amazon's current rain forests will be lost by the > year 2080. In the meantime, the rainfall in Sahara has been calculated to be > increasing, which means, that in the long run, the region might - possibly - > be reforested. > > The latest estimates of the scientific community have taken a position that > the greenhouse gas emissions cannot be limited and the still unused fossil > fuel resources would be used up. Already a 5-degree amount of warming, > during this century, would lead, according to some estimates, that the globe > might be able to support just about one billion people. (The world's > population has been estimated to rise to nine billion people by year 2050.) > > The consumption of fossil fuels at current rates threaten to turn the most > densely populated world regions uninhabitable. If the climate warms up by > ten degrees, human life would be possible only in the high latitudes and in > the mountains. This would result in starvation, mass migrations of people > and wars - let alone what would happen to our current economic order. > > Urgent climate change preparations are required despite of the current, > poor economic environment. The development and utilisation of technologies > that consume less fossil fuels will give new economical opportunities for a > country such as Finland. > > The preservation of our planet's circumstances is now in our hands. The > approaching catastrophe that threatens our modern ways of life can be > avoided by a moderate financial input. > > > [email protected] > > > > The writer is the Director of the Finnish Meteorological Office and > Finland's IPCC-group's chairman. > > > > [image: remove contact] > > ------------------------------ > > ------------------------------ > Beyond Hotmail — see what else you can do with Windows Live. Find out > more! <http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/134665375/direct/01/> > > > -- David W. Schnare Center for Environmental Stewardship --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
