It takes a while for politicians to catch up with science. And maybe we are too late to avert climate catastrophe (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/12/climate-change-copenhagen-monbiot
Now the Maldives, most of which is just 1.5m above sea level have announced that they plan (that's plan not aim) to be carbon neutral in just 10 years.
OK, they have a great incentive to make progress on this. There is a real risk that their country will no longer exist by the end of the century if the worst predictions come true.
But the cost for the package of low-carbon measures is estimated to be about $110m a year for 10 years. The scheme should pay for itself quite quickly, because the Maldives will no longer need to import oil products for electricity generation, transport and other functions. If the oil price were to rise to $100 per barrel, the payback period would be as short as 11 years. At current prices, it would take roughly twice as long to break even.
President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed said: "Climate change is a global emergency. The world is in danger of going into cardiac arrest, yet we behave as if we've caught a common cold. Today, the Maldives has announced plans to become the world's most eco-friendly country. I can only hope other nations follow suit."
See full story at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/15/maldives-president-nasheed-carbon-neutral
Your readers might be interested in the Energy Controversies lecture series at the University of Aberdeen. Includes a lecture on the view of the IPCC by Prof Pete Smith. There's a discussion board too.
ReplyDeletehttp://energycontroversies.abdn.ac.uk/