Yes, David, It might be galloping socialism about the action they espouse. But it is realism about the problem we face. There are very few scientists who are willing to admit that we face self-destruction. It is not a situation anyone can face comfortably, unless convinced that there is a practical solution (or that heaven awaits you). Unfortunately, there are still only a few of us who willing to consider geoengineering as a necessary part of the solution - and very practical.
Cheers, John ----- Original Message ----- From: David Schnare To: [email protected] Cc: Indianice FIPC ; Climateintervention FIPC ; Geoengineering FIPC ; [email protected] ; Professor John Mitchell Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 3:10 PM Subject: [geo] Re: Finnish Meteorological Office: Global warming may take us to terminal climate change 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. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
