It is extremely disappointing to me that Biosphere Carbon Stock Management (BCSM) is not on the agenda
It provides the only practicable way of getting carbon out of the atmosphere while facilitating rapid reductions in emissions through substituting sustainably sourced biomass for fossil fuels. Decarbonizing is pie in the sky fostered by energy interests who want to put off change by a generation Defossilizing (already taking place unsustainably in face of 'peak oil') can be accelerated, and subjected to sustainability conditions, tomorrow. There is no shortage of land but a great shortage of investment in land, as demonstrated by Len Ornstein and colleagues who show in an upcoming article in Climatic Change that desalinating seawater to irrigate the Sahara Desert for fast growing commercial forestry removes CO2 at lower cost than CCS. The current policy-fixation with reducing fossil fuel emissions to the neglect of all other options is economic madness, adaptationally callous and environmentally perverse. Furthermore it imposes burden sharing on developing countries that are not historically responsible for the problem, whereas BCSM enmables them to gain from trade, exporting carbon credits and biofuels to industrialized countries. I attach the 'springboard editorial comment' that I have been invited to provide for publication with Ornstein's two articles. My earlier editorial essay on Biosphere Carbon Stock Management is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/rt798740226381q8/fulltext.pdf Peter ----- Original Message ----- From: John Nissen To: Geoengineering Cc: John Davies ; Alan Gadain ; John Shepherd ; Watson Robert Prof (ENV) ; Dan Lunt ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; Brian Iddon ; Steve Rayner Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 3:37 AM Subject: [geo] Geoengineering seminar, House of Commons, London, 15th July Event details here: http://www.iom3.org/events/geo-engineering-challenges-and-global-impacts I fear that the potential side-effects of geoengineering (especially use of stratospheric aerosols) will be overstated, as they generally are by the media. So I sincerely hope Dr Gadian and Dr Watson will not understate the potentially short-term global impact from not geoengineering: a.. impact of Arctic warming (esp. methane release and Greenland ice sheet disintegration) if solar radiation management (SRM) is not used to cool the Arctic; b.. impact of increased CO2 (esp. global warming and ocean acidification) if CO2 air capture is not used to reduce its level below 350 ppm. BTW, I've just heard from Professor Shepherd that the Royal Society study on geoengineering is due out on Sept 1st, but will not include anything about using SRM specifically to cool the Arctic. Cheers from Chiswick, John --- The Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry and The Royal Academy of Engineering invite you to attend a seminar entitled: Geo-engineering: Challenges and global impacts To be held at Portcullis House, the House of Commons 15 July 2009 Tea and coffee at 6:00pm. The seminar will commence at 6.30pm and will be followed by refreshments at 8.15pm. The speakers at the seminar will be: Dr Alan Gadian, University of Leeds Talk: Cloud albedo modification Dr Dan Lunt, University of Bristol Talk: Sunshade engineering Prof. Andrew Watson, University of East Anglia Talk: Ocean fertilisation Prof. Steve Rayner, University of Oxford Talk: Social and ethical implications of geo-engineering Chair Dr Brian Iddon MP, the House of Commons Geo-engineering offers the potential to protect the Earth's ecosphere from the worst effects of climate change. This protection may only be temporary and, in some cases, mask the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions rather than tackling the root cause. Nevertheless, with growing doubt as to the ability, or willingness, of world economies to meet the stringent cuts in emissions required, geo-engineering could become politically attractive to buy more time for those deep cuts to be made. This seminar will discuss a number of imaginative technologies that have been suggested to modify the Earth's albedo or sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, which could be sufficient to offset, in part, the effect of greenhouse gas emissions. These include dispersing sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere to mimic global dimming, using a swarm of picosatellites in space to reflect sunlight, and ocean fertilisation to encourage the growth of marine microorganisms which can capture carbon dioxide. The seminar will explore whether these techniques will have any unintended consequences (e.g. releasing sulphate aerosols into the atmosphere may cause droughts), how they need to be developed and analysed for risk potential, and whether altering the Earth's climate system will ever be socially acceptable. The scale of the interventions required will also be of concern as well as the full life-cycle costs of proposals. This seminar is the latest in a series demonstrating key routes by which contemporary physics, chemistry and engineering will affect life in the 21st century. The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of over 36 000 and is a leading communicator of physics-related science to all audiences, from specialists through to government and the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics. The Royal Society of Chemistry is the largest organisation in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. Supported by a worldwide network of members and an international publishing business, our activities span education, conferences, science policy and the promotion of chemistry to the public. The Royal Academy of Engineering is Britain's national academy for engineering, bringing together the country's most eminent engineers from all disciplines to promote excellence in the science, art and practice of engineering. Its strategic priorities are to enhance the UK's engineering capabilities, to celebrate excellence and inspire the next generation, and to lead debate by guiding informed thinking and influencing public policy. --- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.375 / Virus Database: 270.13.2/2214 - Release Date: 07/02/09 05:54:00 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. 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