How long can Bush filibuster on this one? One does, if one is required to be
religious, begin to believe the President is behaving as though he were the
Anti-Christ. Is it true the Dutch are making serious plans to move the City
of Amsterdam up and away from the newly rising waters? Bye-bye, Florida.
Etc. We and Fox Network here in the USA will be the last to know it, but it
more than ever appears that this climate biz is getting real serious. Think
of it, in ten years all poetry readings will be held in Oxygen Bars! Unless.

Stephen V
Blog: http://stephenvincent.durationpress.com

G8 scientists tell Bush: Act now ú or else...
An unprecedented warning as global warming worsens
By Steve Connor, Science Editor

08 June 2005


An unprecedented joint statement issued by the leading scientific academies
of the world has called on the G8 governments to take urgent action to avert
a global catastrophe caused by climate change.

The national academies of science for all the G8 countries, along with those
of Brazil, India and China, have warned that governments must no longer
procrastinate on what is widely seen as the greatest danger facing humanity.
The statement, which has taken months to finalise, is all the more important
as it is signed by Bruce Alberts, president of the US National Academy of
Sciences, which has warned George Bush about the dangers of ignoring the
threat posed by global warming.

It was released on the day that Tony Blair met Mr Bush in Washington, where
the American President was expected to reaffirm his opposition to joining
the Kyoto treat to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Over dinner at the White
House last night, Mr Blair appeared to make little progress on one of his
main priorities for Britain's year chairing the G8 - a new international
effort to combat climate change. The Prime Minister is trying to draw the
US, China and India into the discussion, but there is little sign that the
Bush administration will accept the growing scientific evidence about the
problem.

Lord May of Oxford, the president of the Royal Society, Britain's national
academy of sciences, lambasted President Bush yesterday for ignoring his own
scientists by withdrawing from the Kyoto treaty. "The current US policy on
climate change is misguided. The Bush administration has consistently
refused to accept advice of the US National Academy of Sciences ... Getting
the US on board is critical because of the sheer amount of greenhouse gas
emissions they are responsible for," Lord May said.

Between 1990 and 2002, the carbon dioxide emissions of the US increased by
13 per cent, which on their own were greater than the combined cut in
emissions that will be achieved if all Kyoto countries hit their targets, he
said.

"President Bush has an opportunity at Gleneagles to signal that his
administration will no longer ignore the scientific evidence and act to cut
emissions," Lord May said. "The G8 summit is an unprecedented moment in
human history. Our leaders face a stark choice - act now to tackle climate
change or let future generations face the price of their inaction.

"Never before have we faced such a global threat. And if we do not begin
effective action now it will be much harder to stop the runaway train as it
continues to gather momentum," he added.

The joint statement by the national science academies of the 11 countries
does not mention Kyoto but it does refer repeatedly to the United Nations
Framework on Climate Change that spawned the 1995 protocol to limit future
greenhouse gas emissions, which the US has signed up to.

Climate change is real, global warming is occurring and there is strong
evidence that man-made greenhouse gases are implicated in a potentially
catastrophic increase in global temperatures, the statement says. "It is
likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human
activities. This warming has already led to changes in the Earth's climate."

Human activities are causing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to
rise to a point not reached for at least 420,000 years. Meanwhile average
global temperatures rose by 0.6C in the 20th century and are projected to
increase by between 1.4C and 5.8C by 2100.

"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to
justify nations taking prompt action. It is vital that all nations identify
cost-effective steps that they can take now to contribute to substantial and
long-term reduction in net global greenhouse gas emissions," the statement
says.

In a veiled reference to President Bush's reluctance to accept climate
change by claiming that the science is unclear, the academies emphasise that
action is needed now to reduce the build-up of greenhouse gases.

"A lack of full scientific certainty about some aspects of climate change is
not a reason for delaying an immediate response that will, at a reasonable
cost, prevent dangerous anthropogenic [man-made] interference with the
climate system," the statement says.

"We urge all nations... to take prompt action to reduce the causes of
climate change, adapt to its impacts and ensure that the issue is included
in all relevant national and international strategies."

The national academies warn that even if greenhouse gas emissions can be
stabilised at existing levels, the climate would continue to change as it
slowly responds to the extra carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere.
"Further changes in climate are therefore unavoidable. Nations must prepare
for them," the statement says.

CO2 on the increase

1958: A US scientist, Charles Keeling, begins measuring the atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) on an extinct volcano in Hawaii. It
stands at 315 parts per million (ppm).

1968: The US spacecraft 'Apollo 8' takes the first pictures of Earth from a
distance, beautiful but fragile - which help start modern environmentalism.
The C02 level has reached 323ppm.

1972: The UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm - the moment
when the world first recognises environmental threats to the Earth as a
whole. CO2 now at 327ppm.

1988: The world wakes up to the danger of climate change, with an outspoken
warning from scientists, and a speech by Margaret Thatcher. CO2 level stands
at 351ppm.

1992: The Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro sees more than 100 countries sign
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the first global warming
treaty. CO2 now at 356ppm.

1995: The Kyoto protocol to the UN's climate treaty is signed in Japan,
binding countries, including the US, to make cuts in their CO2 emissions.
The CO2 level has now reached 360ppm.

2000: Obvious that the 1990s were the hottest decade in the global
temperature record, with 1998 the hottest year in the northern hemisphere
for 1,000 years. CO2 is 369ppm.

2001: George Bush withdraws the US, the world's biggest CO2 emitter, from
Kyoto, alleging it will damage America's economy - jeopardising the whole
process. CO2 level now at 371ppm.

2003: First two weeks of August are the hottest period ever recorded in
western Europe: 35,000 people die. New record high temperature for Britain.
CO2 now at 375ppm.

2004: After much dithering, Russia ratifies Kyoto, enabling the protocol to
enter into force despite the desertion of the United States. But that
doesn't stop the CO2 level rising to 377ppm.