AS THE world gathers in Copenhagen over the coming weeks to discuss how much carbon dioxide people should be putting into the atmosphere, the Benguela Stream will be docking in the Windward Isles to bring bananas to Europe for Christmas, and doing her bit to help ascertain where a large part of that CO2 ends up.
Halogenated gases currently contribute 12% to overall radiative forcing. While actions under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) are already addressing CFCs and HCFCs, atmospheric concentrations of some HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) are rising rapidly, by more than 23% each year.
The commitments made by countries to cut carbon emissions have put the world on the threshold of hitting the target of limiting the rise in global temperatures to 2 degrees C.
The climate change summit began in Copenhagen on 7 December 2009. The climate in which it began was somewhat better than most analysts and observers had believed would be the case. There was greater optimism as the opening ceremony was held.
Extreme weather events are generally expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to global climate change. They have the potential to significantly undermine progress towards the
The need to enable and promote access to innovative energy technologies that address both poverty reduction and climate change needs is both urgent and timely.
This paper sets out an assessment of the latest national positions regarding emission reduction targets and actions going into the forthcoming negotiations in Copenhagen. These targets and intentions are quantified and translated into global emissions to give an understanding of how close we are to a
possible agreement consistent with keeping temperature increase below 2
