The worst effects of global warming can be blunted if average people make The technology to slow climate change exists in the form of At the same time, the scientists said businesses could be encouraged to The panel also called for better management of the world's forests, the Failure to take action, the panel warned, could result in dire Friday's report was the third issued by the panel, which in its previous “Between 1970 and 2004, the growth in greenhouse gas emissions has been This report stresses “the need for human society as a whole to start The “warnings could not be more alarming,” Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., “We know what we need to do to protect the planet. The only question is The scientists identified commercial nuclear power as one possible future On Friday, advocates on both sides of the nuclear power debate offered On the other hand, Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists “It's far from a ringing endorsement for nuclear power,” said UCS In the larger fight to curb global warming, “what this report says is The report was endorsed Friday by at least one local corporate executive, “It's a huge issue to industry as well as to the climate, because if it's He noted that Safeway is exploring whether to install solar panels atop In a statement Friday, Larry Schweger, president of the National Wildlife
lifestyle changes that conserve energy and if the world's nations show the
political will to address the problem, a panel of international scientists said
Friday.
renewable-energy sources like solar, wind and hydroelectric power and making
cars, homes and factories more energy efficient, but governments must adopt
policies that encourage people and businesses to embrace them, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said.
quit generating carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, with the
establishment of carbon taxes equal to $100 per ton of carbon dioxide put into
the atmosphere.
loss of which through deforestation could deprive the planet of a vital “sink”
for absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that contributes to rising
temperatures.
consequences for future generations.
works analyzed the causes and extent of climate change.
about 70 percent. So the world is obviously on a warming path,” said Rajendra
Pachauri, chairman of the panel, which has been meeting in Bangkok.
looking at changes in lifestyles and consumption patterns” to lower its
emissions of greenhouse gases, he said.
chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global
Warming, said in a statement. “But this report also gives much reason for hope.
whether we have the wisdom to do so in time to make a difference.”
energy source, providing 18 percent of the world's electricity by 2030, just
slightly more than the 16 percent currently. However, they cautioned, nuclear
technology still faces obstacles in the form of plant safety, radioactive-waste
disposal and nuclear weapons proliferation.
different spins on the report's remarks. On the one hand, veteran nuclear power
champion Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., praised the panel for citing “nuclear
energy as a necessary part of the climate change solution. … Nuclear power is
clean, safe and efficient.”
pointed to the report's emphasis on nuclear power's long-standing problems and
the difficulty of building enough of the expensive, high-tech plants in time to
make a big difference in the war against global warming.
researcher Peter Frumhoff, who is chief author of a chapter in Friday's report
that deals with the fight against planetary deforestation.
this: We don't lack technology; we don't lack know-how; we don't lack a
knowledge of what policies to use. What we lack is sufficient political will
– at the moment,” Frumhoff said. “But if we take action now, we can stay
below dangerous levels of global warming and climate change.”
who said big businesses need to heed its recommendations or risk having
government force them into it.
legislated wrong it's going be very expensive, punitive and unclear
(legislation),” said Joe Pettus, senior vice president of the Pleasanton-based
Safeway supermarket chain.
its stores and to buy huge, electricity-generating windmills at remote sites.
Federation, said: “The world's scientific experts are giving us all the
information we need. This latest report provides unmistakable clarity that we
must act now, and that solutions are within reach to avoid the worst effects of
global warming.”
Online resources
For a summary of the IPCC's report, go to:
links.sfgate.com/ZDS
Ross Report: What price a global war on warming?
sfgate.com/blogs/rossreport
E-mail Keay Davidson at kdavidson@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle