Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

Some devastating news has come out of the latest G77 climate summit. The latest summit was basically the last real chance to ratify and start work on the Kyoto protocol which calls for all nations involved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a very moderate amount.

The latest clash was basically the US and several backers (Australia, Canada and Japan) against the European Union. The US wants to allow for loopholes in the agreement called "sinks" that give credits for forests that reduce greenhouse gases. The US intention is that the credits then be applied to the overall output of a particular country and therefore they only would have to reduce (if any at all) the difference. The EU leaders scoffed at this idea claiming that in that case many countries would simply do "nothing."

I must say that this is very disconcerting news. This was the last chance to ratify the agreement before a potential US Bush administration which has already made public their opposition to the plan. Bush himself went so far as to claim that global warming is a "social fad" (see the previous TotSP article, before the election outlining the candidates positions using answers they themselves supplied to Audubon magazine.) This claim by Bush (whether or not you like him in general) displays a profound ignorance on this issue that may end up very adversely affecting the entire planet.

I would agree with the EU. We need to do something about this issue and yes, it will require we spend some money and make some sacrifices, rather than scramble for excuses and loopholes. "The time is not running out, is has run out."

Some may argue that this is overstating the issue, but I, and many experts (whom actually can spell science) disagree. The issue is real, and is very serious. Several island nations such as Palau are already threatened by rising sea levels, and there is overwhelming, real scientific evidence that the climate is changing at a dramatic pace. Disregarding the evidence, or worse, subverting the evidence for personal or financial reasons is no less than criminal and we all need to make this issue paramount.

Check the BBC article for more details, and be aware of the issue. The American press basically did not cover this at all, actually NPR did, but I am not aware of its coverage in more mainstream media. Be advised.   Climate Summit Failure: BBC Science