Scientists condemn US as emissions of greenhouse gases hit record

[cal04]

Scientists condemn US as emissions of greenhouse gases hit record level

The United States emitted more greenhouse gases in 2004 than at any time in history, confirming its status as the world's biggest polluter. Latest figures on the US contribution to global warming show that its carbon emissions have risen sharply despite international concerns over climate change. The figures, which were quietly released on Easter Monday, reveal that net greenhouse gas emissions during 2004 increased by 1.7 per cent on the previous year, equivalent to a rise of 110 million tons of carbon dioxide.

This is the biggest annual increase since 2000 and means that in 2004 - the latest year that full data is available - the US released the equivalent of nearly 6,300 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Scientists in Britain condemned the increase, saying that it showed how the US was failing to take a lead in the international attempt to curb greenhouse gas emissions despite being the worst offender.

Professor David Read, the vice-president of the Royal Society, said that the US and Britain needed to take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas levels in order to honour their commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "The figures published this week show not only that the US emissions are not decreasing, but that they are actually increasing on an annual basis," Professor Read said. "And while the UK appears to be doing slightly better, its carbon dioxide emissions have been rising annually for the past three years," he said.

"The US and the UK are the two leading scientific nations in the world and are home to some of the best climate researchers. "But in terms of fulfilling the commitment made by their signature to the UN convention to stabilise greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, neither country is demonstrating leadership by reducing their emissions to the levels required," Professor Read said. The US accounts for about a quarter of the total global emissions of man-made carbon dioxide or the other gases such as methane that can exacerbate the earth's greenhouse effect, which traps sunlight and heat.

more
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article358583.ece

[leftchick]

1. And Arctic Animals Are Dying Daily NOW!

greedy MFErs....



A walrus pup separated from its mother in the Arctic Ocean. (Photo by Phil Alatalo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

http://www.whoi.edu/mr/pr.do?id=12209


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0327_060327_walrus.html

Baby Walruses Stranded by Melting Arctic Ice, Experts Say
Adrianne Appel
for National Geographic News

March 27, 2006
Melting Arctic ice may be putting walrus pups in peril, researchers say.

A team of scientists working in the Arctic Ocean in 2004 says it encountered nine Pacific walrus pups struggling alone in the water far from shore.


Typically walrus pups live on ice close to shore and are inseparable from their mothers.

"I'm not a walrus expert, but we thought it was unusual,'' said Lee Cooper, a marine ecologist at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, who led the team.

"The baby walruses would swim up to the boat. It was heartbreaking,'' he said.

Melting Arctic sea ice is the most likely explanation for the stranded pups, Cooper said. His team was in the region to study the intrusion of warm Bering Sea water into the Arctic Ocean.

[badgervan]

4. 2008

Al Gore looking better and better for '08, I would say. He would immediately reverse our environmental "policy" under bush/cheney/rove.

[leftchick]

5. the problem is most people have no clue how bad things are now!

thanks to the M$M! :(

[Up2Late]

2. Happy Earth Day everyone! (O.K., I'm a few days early)

It's April 22nd.

<http://www.earthday.net/>

BTW, did you see this one?!? <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=204550&mesg_id=204550>

[BrightKnight]

3. 101 in Dallas on the day after Easter - n/t

[GDAEx2]

6. Awesome piece on NOVA tonight

The Dimming Sun.
Discussed recent observations that particulate pollution in the atmosphere has masked the effects of global warming caused by greenhouse gasses.
People, we are seriously f*cked.
check it out.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sun/

[Mr.Green93]

7. The world needs to band together and

crash the US economy. What we are doing to the planet is criminal and unsustainable.

[reprobate]

8. It's also insane. George W. Bush WILL destroy the WORLD!

The scientist are saying we can expect a ten degree C rise in average world temperature by the end of the century. This will result in massive die offs of all vegetation, trees, etc. By that time human life will be unsustainable over most of the world. This will cause something much worse. The warming oceans will melt the billions of tons of methane hydrate under the ocean floor, which is many times more powerful as a green house gas than carbon dioxide. Earth will become a sister planet to Venus.

I believe that Bush, with all his access to science advisers knows all this and is doing this purposefully, in order to bring the end times.

The man is certifiably insane. He is going to kill all life on earth just to prove his mythology will come true.

If he is not stopped we are all dead, as well as our children and grandchildren. I've already concluded that my grandkids will not see their senior years unless Mad George is removed from office. But that won't happen unless some democrats get some vertebrae.

[cyberpj]

9. "The Bush Administration is focused on achieving meaningful results"

Here's their propaganda page for Earth Day:

"The Bush Administration is focused on achieving meaningful results – cleaner air and water, and healthier lands and wildlife habitats.

The nation's air is much cleaner today than it was in 1970 and progress will continue.
The trend of annual loss of wetlands has been reversed.
Restoration and redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites is accelerating.
President Bush is meeting his commitment to reduce the National Park Service maintenance backlog."

more lies here:
http://www.earthday.gov/

[hatrack]

11. Lying sacks of shit from top to bottom

And Bush's big Earth Day event this year? Why, the obligatory appearance at a fuel-cell company, followed by a fundraiser.

That's right, Chimpy, just keep shaking them magic bones and intoning that old technological magic, you ASSHOLE.

[cyberpj]

20. I just had to go looking. Seems they have a lying net page up for

just about anything and everything they do.

Not surprised though. Nothing can surprise me after they started the Pentagon news casts.

Cause who's gonna call them on it? The press?! Hah.

[Up2Late]

15. GM has an "Earth Day" site too, but guess what?

Since I have Anti-Spy-ware, Anti-Ad-ware/Pop-ups and My FireFox has all the anti-Pop-up stuff set to on, when I tried going to the site, I was stopped dead. My software blockers stopped me from going there because they try to route you through an Ad server (Double-click).

I did see it, by using MS Internet Explorer 6.x, but now I need to run several clean-ups to get rid of whatever Double click put on my computer.

Not really worth the hassle, but if you're curious, just Google Earth Day, the link is at the top.

[ananda]

10. This does not surprise me because..

.. Houston virtually has had no spring whatsoever..

.. just went from a fairly mild winter immediately to
high summer.

In fact, the state had to order rolling blackouts
yesterday because of inability to meet high energy
demands due to the heat... in the nineties.

Sue

[Maven]

12. Get thee to the Greatest Page.

K/R

[struggle4progress]

14. KnR

[oscar111]

13. ORBITING SUNSHADE can function before Kyoto

Kyoto is slow to never

but even bush's greedy pals might go for a NASA project which would profit them all

Sunshade has many advantages ... for me, it is that it will work .. and it has no need for dozens of nations to get going and shut down industries.




http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/01/15/archive/main264362.shtml

[NickB79]

16. A 1200-mile sun shade would be thrown out of orbit by the solar wind

As has been explained over on the Environmental board.

[barb162]

17. I'd like to know who was second, third, fourth, etc.

It sure is no figure in our cap though

[Harper_is_Bush]

18. BUSH: "globe is warming. The fundamental debate: Is it manmade or natural"

Idiot.

[hatrack]

19. Yes - GHGs from manmade sources will retain heat, others will not?

Is that President Weaknstupid's argument here? That we only need to worry about the stuff we directly emit, but positive feedback loops won't matter.

Fucking unbelievable.