Worldwide, scientists concurred that we have a 10-year window before we pass the threshold on greenhouse gases … until now.
Tim Flannery, a leading Australian scientist and worldwide recognized climate change scientist, thinks it may already be too late.
He says that an international climate change report due to be released in November will demonstrate that greenhouse gases passed the “no return” threshold in 2005.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report will show, he says, that greenhouse gases reached the level expected 10 years from now (455 parts per million of CO2 equivalent) in mid-2005.
The data includes carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). All the gases were measured and then rolled into “one gas” to reach an overall level.
What’s causing the unexpected spike? Flannery believes it’s the surge in global economic expansion, notably in China and India.
In an interview on Australian television he said, “We’re still basing economic activity on fossil fuels. You know, the metabolism of that economy is now on a collision course, clearly, with the metabolism of our planet.”
Simply reducing greenhouse gas emissions may no longer be enough to prevent dangerous climate change, he said.
“We can reduce emissions as much as we like -unless we remove existing pollution out of the air and into the tropical forests, we’ll still face unacceptable levels of risk in 40 years time.”
He agrees with the proposal that the developed world buy “climate security” by compensating developing countries not to log forests and to regrow forests.
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