Rajendra Pachauri, the United Nation’s top climate scientist, gave his personal support to an ambitious goal for cutting global greenhouse gas emissions, accoring to an AFP report.
He said in his position as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) he could not officially take a position, but that as "a human being" he fully supports cutting global carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations to below 350 parts per million (ppm).
The IPCC in its 2007 report, said concentrations should stay below 450 ppm to avoid the worst effects of climate change. But more recent studies and observations suggest climate change is matching or exceeding worst-case scenarios, and that current CO2 levels of around 385 ppm must be reduced by the end of the century to keep temperatur increase at an average of 1.5 degrees celsius.
G8 nations agreed in July that global temperatures should not be allowed to rise more than 2 degrees celsius, but so far, negotiations have made little progress in establishing an international system for significantly reducing emissions.
Environmental activist and author Bill McKibben wrote on his 350.org website: "It’s clear now that science is powerfully on the side of 350. Now we need the political world to follow suit."
350.org is organizing a "Day of Action" on October 24 to rally public support for the 350 ppm target before the December Copenhagen climate talks.
Read the AFP report about Pachauri’s statement at the link below.
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