The Rural Voice, 1998-01, Page 14Robert Mercer
Kyoto conference on global warming
At the beginning of December
we were bombarded with news
from Japan about the 135 nations
trying to agree on how to combat
global warming, and whether or not
it was caused by human activity.
To me, humanity now faces a
challenge that rivals any other in
our history. We have to reach a new
balance with nature while
continuing to expand economic and
social opportunities for more and
more people, especially in third
world countries.
We need to plan now for, and
change our ways now for, a lasting
society that can achieve ecological
harmony worldwide.
Not easy, as the world global
warming summit found at Kyoto.
And not easy, even when
agreements are made, as the
experience from the Rio Earth
Summit has found. The world finds
few nations that have met their
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pledges to reduce greenhouse gases
five years later.
I am concemed. Short term
economic and political agendas are
dictating plan development that
must be long
sighted. We
need an
"Energy
Revolution".
We must
move away
from fossil
fuels — oil,
gas and coal —
and embrace
solar power,
wind energy,
the new fuel
cells for
altemative
fuels and fuel
efficiency of all kinds. We must
switch from resource dependence to
resource conservation and
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10 THE RURAL VOICE
recycling. We are getting there bit
by bit, but ever so slowly and it
may be too late.
Here are some of the reasons
why I am concerned and there are
many, many more.
• In the developing world toxic
gas emissions are up 500 per cent in
Indonesia from 1975 to 1988; up
800 per cent in the Philippines and
up 1,200 per cent in Thailand.
(World Bank Figures)
• If developing countries
continue to expand economically as
they have without better emission
controls, then the level of carbon
dioxide worldwide would double.
(German estimates)
• If carbon dioxide levels
quadruple, the higher temperature
due to the greenhouse effect will
raise occan levels by two meters.
This is due to water expansion at
higher temperatures not due to ice
cap meltdown.
• Even if the energy lobby is
right when it suggests that auto
emissions do not cause global
warming, they do cause air quality
problems and should be cut for that
reason alone.
• People are moving to cities
away from the country and
concentrating pollution problems
and therefore health problems.
(Tokyo 26.8 million people; Sao
Paulo 16.4 million; New York 16.3
million; Mexico City 15.6 million;
Los Angeles 12.4 million)
• The three hottest years this
century have all been in the last
decade. The hottest was 1995.
• The pace of change in the
increases in global greenhouse
gases is increasing regardless of the
pledges made at Rio.
• In 1992 at Rio, Canada as one
nation with only three per cern of
the world's population, pledged to
stabilize greenhouse gases to the
1990 level by the year 2,000. Since
1992 Canada's emissions have risen
13 per cent.
• Since the industrial revolution,
on a world wide basis, air
composition of carbon dioxide is up
l