2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenario

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Prinnctopher's Belt

Antiquities Friend
SF Supporter
#1
Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases
By SETH BORENSTEIN - AP Science Writer | AP – 3 hrs ago


WASHINGTON (AP) — The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.

The new figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.

"The more we talk about the need to control emissions, the more they are growing," said John Reilly, co-director of MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.

The world pumped about 564 million more tons (512 million metric tons) of carbon into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009. That's an increase of 6 percent. That amount of extra pollution eclipses the individual emissions of all but three countries — China, the United States and India, the world's top producers of greenhouse gases.

It is a "monster" increase that is unheard of, said Gregg Marland, a professor of geology at Appalachian State University, who has helped calculate Department of Energy figures in the past.

Extra pollution in China and the U.S. account for more than half the increase in emissions last year, Marland said.

"It's a big jump," said Tom Boden, director of the Energy Department's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center at Oak Ridge National Lab. "From an emissions standpoint, the global financial crisis seems to be over."

Boden said that in 2010 people were traveling, and manufacturing was back up worldwide, spurring the use of fossil fuels, the chief contributor of man-made climate change.

India and China are huge users of coal. Burning coal is the biggest carbon source worldwide and emissions from that jumped nearly 8 percent in 2010.

"The good news is that these economies are growing rapidly so everyone ought to be for that, right?" Reilly said Thursday. "Broader economic improvements in poor countries has been bringing living improvements to people. Doing it with increasing reliance on coal is imperiling the world."

In 2007, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its last large report on global warming, it used different scenarios for carbon dioxide pollution and said the rate of warming would be based on the rate of pollution. Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees.

Even though global warming skeptics have attacked the climate change panel as being too alarmist, scientists have generally found their predictions too conservative, Reilly said. He said his university worked on emissions scenarios, their likelihood, and what would happen. The IPCC's worst case scenario was only about in the middle of what MIT calculated are likely scenarios.

Chris Field of Stanford University, head of one of the IPCC's working groups, said the panel's emissions scenarios are intended to be more accurate in the long term and are less so in earlier years. He said the question now among scientists is whether the future is the panel's worst case scenario "or something more extreme."

"Really dismaying," Granger Morgan, head of the engineering and public policy department at Carnegie Mellon University, said of the new figures. "We are building up a horrible legacy for our children and grandchildren."

But Reilly and University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver found something good in recent emissions figures. The developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced their emissions overall since then and have achieved their goals of cutting emissions to about 8 percent below 1990 levels. The U.S. did not ratify the agreement.

In 1990, developed countries produced about 60 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50 percent, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."
___
Online:
Government carbon dioxide info center: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/


http://news.yahoo.com/biggest-jump-ever-seen-global-warming-gases-183955211.html
 
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lightbeam

Antiquities Friend
#2
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

Global warming is a crock, and we all know it!
 
#4
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

Do you even have depression or any problem? All I see from you everyday is highly charged political news items designed to depress and piss people off more than they already are. And then you can hit back with ten miles more of quotes and copy and pasted items to belittle everybodies opinions if they differ from yours.
 

Prinnctopher's Belt

Antiquities Friend
SF Supporter
#5
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

Excuse me? You are in the soap box subforum where members have been posting news items, interesting questions, and controversial and serious topics for years. Know where you're at. Read the rules and guidelines of the forum and please don't hijack another thread.
 

Isabel

Staff Alumni
#8
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

It is an important issue. I believe the soap box is the place for it to be discussed. And it would be really appreciated if it was with maturity and respect. We all have different issues close to our heart , and one does not have to participate in any conversations which does not interest him or her. It is called the soap box, not the sand box.
 
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justMe7

Well-Known Member
#9
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

In 1990, developed countries produced about 60 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50 percent, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."
Someone said this to me and it's a good point imo. The developed world has had a very long time to reach where it is today. Society has developed in tech and all manner of ways. We have an evolved state of society(yes, it's evolved from the pos state it was 100 years ago, im not being superior), where we've made mistakes, endured and progressed through those mistakes, and found better and more effienct ways to achieve what we want.
We've had the time to reach where we are today.
Developing countries? Not so much. They're getting tech, but at a much later stage. We're effectively telling them the best ways of doing it, but they haven't learnt for themselves, nor do they have the same society growth/tech understanding to go with it. Asking them to keep their emissions down is only going to hamper them even more as they're struggeling to find their own equilibrium as a society structure.
Just a thought... fucked up the explanation but yeah.
 

BrinkOfExistence

Well-Known Member
#10
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

Well it's november and it's relatively warm compared to last year. i've never doubted global warming however i believe it's a natural cycle and that we have contributed to it....alot. I'm sure we'll get throught it and after it we can look forward to an ice age. Then y'all be like it's too cold we're all gonna freeze.
The only thing we can do is slow global warming down, it's gonna happen whether we want it to or not.
 

Lost

Staff Alumni
#11
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

I believe it exists and its a problem but the only reason why I think some governments are only getting on board with it now is because they know their fuel is running out fast, so they are using scare tactics to try and get everyone on board the renewable energy train.+

Still.. It is one of their better under handed actions. :dunno:
 

bhawk

Well-Known Member
#12
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

from what i remember humans only contribute a silly small percent to the greenhouse gases. also the animal (bar us) that contributes to the most Co2 emmissions is actually termites....interesting fact for you
 

Kaos General

Well-Known Member
#13
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

Excuse me? You are in the soap box subforum where members have been posting news items, interesting questions, and controversial and serious topics for years. Know where you're at. Read the rules and guidelines of the forum and please don't hijack another thread.
None of which you have ever posted. You consistently post links of OTHER people's articles.

Oh and then theirs the constant conspiracy theory drivel that no one cares about, oh wait, like this thread. I am yet to see a single opinion you have formed that hasn't come from yahoo or the huffington post.
 

jxdama

Staff Alumni
#14
Re: 2010 greenhouse gases at levels higher than previously outlined worst-case scenar

Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases
By SETH BORENSTEIN - AP Science Writer | AP – 3 hrs ago


WASHINGTON (AP) — The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.

The new figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.

"The more we talk about the need to control emissions, the more they are growing," said John Reilly, co-director of MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.

The world pumped about 564 million more tons (512 million metric tons) of carbon into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009. That's an increase of 6 percent. That amount of extra pollution eclipses the individual emissions of all but three countries — China, the United States and India, the world's top producers of greenhouse gases.

It is a "monster" increase that is unheard of, said Gregg Marland, a professor of geology at Appalachian State University, who has helped calculate Department of Energy figures in the past.

Extra pollution in China and the U.S. account for more than half the increase in emissions last year, Marland said.

"It's a big jump," said Tom Boden, director of the Energy Department's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center at Oak Ridge National Lab. "From an emissions standpoint, the global financial crisis seems to be over."

Boden said that in 2010 people were traveling, and manufacturing was back up worldwide, spurring the use of fossil fuels, the chief contributor of man-made climate change.

India and China are huge users of coal. Burning coal is the biggest carbon source worldwide and emissions from that jumped nearly 8 percent in 2010.

"The good news is that these economies are growing rapidly so everyone ought to be for that, right?" Reilly said Thursday. "Broader economic improvements in poor countries has been bringing living improvements to people. Doing it with increasing reliance on coal is imperiling the world."

In 2007, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its last large report on global warming, it used different scenarios for carbon dioxide pollution and said the rate of warming would be based on the rate of pollution. Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees.

Even though global warming skeptics have attacked the climate change panel as being too alarmist, scientists have generally found their predictions too conservative, Reilly said. He said his university worked on emissions scenarios, their likelihood, and what would happen. The IPCC's worst case scenario was only about in the middle of what MIT calculated are likely scenarios.

Chris Field of Stanford University, head of one of the IPCC's working groups, said the panel's emissions scenarios are intended to be more accurate in the long term and are less so in earlier years. He said the question now among scientists is whether the future is the panel's worst case scenario "or something more extreme."

"Really dismaying," Granger Morgan, head of the engineering and public policy department at Carnegie Mellon University, said of the new figures. "We are building up a horrible legacy for our children and grandchildren."

But Reilly and University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver found something good in recent emissions figures. The developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced their emissions overall since then and have achieved their goals of cutting emissions to about 8 percent below 1990 levels. The U.S. did not ratify the agreement.

In 1990, developed countries produced about 60 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50 percent, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."
___
Online:
Government carbon dioxide info center: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/


http://news.yahoo.com/biggest-jump-ever-seen-global-warming-gases-183955211.html
this must be why a 50ft tidal wave just destroyed virginia.
 
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