Global IssuesInternational Agreement is Not the Only Way to Tackle Climate Change
'Some parts of the globe will be affected more than others. This makes a global agreement on climate change very difficult to achieve' Dr.Rajendra Pachauri (Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) explained at a press briefing Tuesday.
This is the greatest injustice of climate change. The wealthier countries of the west are principally liable for the carbon emissions and yet the largest impact will occur in the developing world, he said.
For example, the 0.75C of warming that has occurred so far has resulted in the displacement of 10 to 25 million people in Africa due to desertification. The west has seen no impact on this scale from climate change within their borders.
Dr. Pachauri stated on a more hopeful note that a global agreement may not be completely vital to tackling climate change.
He explained 'excluding reducing temperature rises, there are many more direct benefits for a country from embracing renewable energy such as energy security, health benefits on a local level and increased employment.'
'Hence, if an international deal can be agreed, this would be well and good but if not, countries can act individually to tackle climate change because it is in their interests to do so,.' Dr Pachauri said
The press briefing was held to mark the release of the 'Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation.'
This report looks at the potential of six renewable energy sources and how to integrate them into present and future energy systems, along with its costs and benefits for future sustainable development.
The report was the work on 130 authors working with the IPCC and took over three years to complete.
During the briefing, Dr. Pachauri was questioned over the exclusion in the report of biomass as a renewable source.
He responded by saying that 'Even with over exploitation of trees, you can make up what has been lost but most biomass doesn’t even come from directly cutting down trees but from sources such as agricultural residue and animal dung. Hence it is technically a renewable source and belongs in the report.'
© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service