The article in the url below argues that, while those who take a stand against the science behind climate change risk their credibility, those who believe the current paradigm will result in substantive change are also “in denial”:
“The first UN agreement on climate change was struck in Rio back in 1992. But in the intervening years, the rate of CO emissions has risen steadily.”
There is a good argument to be made that economic development in the West got us into this mess and, as a result, the West carriers a higher burden to sort it out:
“The Indians and Chinese point out that the vast bulk of the CO already in the atmosphere has been put there by the industrialised countries of the west. China is now probably the largest emitter of CO in the world. But, on a per capita basis, emissions in China are still well below western levels. Why, ask the Indians and Chinese, should Americans and Europeans assume the right to continue using energy at levels that they seek to deny to poorer countries? It is a fair question.”
The odds of that happening any time soon, however, are not great:
“The proposed deal is that rich countries essentially bribe poorer countries to cut emissions and adopt cleaner technologies. China has proposed that developed nations should all agree to contribute 1 per cent of gross domestic product to help poorer nations fight global warming. Now imagine that you are Mr Obama trying to sell a deal like that back home.”
The numbers involved in enacting the level of change necessary are staggering:
“As Oliver Morton, the science writer, points out - "Building two terawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050 - enough to supply 10 per cent of the total carbon-free energy that's needed - means building a large nuclear power station every week; the current worldwide rate is about five a year. A single terawatt of wind - 5 per cent of the overall requirement - requires about 4m large turbines."”
Take care
David
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
http://www.sagepub.com/Werther/
Climate activists are also in denial
By Gideon Rachman
941 words
28 July 2009
Financial Times
Asia Ed1
07
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/37c9c748-7adf-11de-8c34-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html
or
http://www.salaam.co.uk/news/displaynews.php?news_id=255946
