At COP21, four of the world’s leading climate scientists, Dr. James Hansen, Dr. Tom Wigley, Dr. Ken Caldeira and Dr. Kerry Emanuel will present a research showing the increasing urgency of fully decarbonizing the world economy.
The presentation will also show that renewables alone cannot realistically meet the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees C, and that a major expansion of nuclear power is essential to avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system this century.
The scientists will outline how only a combined strategy employing all the major sustainable clean energy options — including renewables and nuclear — can prevent the worst effects of climate change by 2100, such as the loss of coral reefs, severe damages from extreme weather events, and the destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide.
The challenge from the scientists comes as nuclear power is back on the table at Paris as a major climate mitigation option, appearing as a significant component of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of major emitters including China, the U.S. and India.
The four scientists call for an increase in ambition in the deployment of improved light-water reactors, with the accelerated development of advanced fission technologies to accompany planned increases in solar, wind and hydro power generation.
In light of the urgency of tackling climate change and nuclear power’s essential role in limiting temperature rises, the four scientists will therefore challenge environmental leaders who still hold anti-nuclear positions to instead support development and deployment of safe and environmentally-friendly nuclear power.
For example, the Climate Action Network, representing all the major environmental groups, still insists despite all evidence to the contrary that “nuclear has no role to play in a fully decarbonized power sector.” The four scientists will state that the anti-nuclear position of these environmental leaders is in fact causing unnecessary and severe harm to the environment and to the future of young people.
The scientists will outline the latest research on sea level rise, ocean acidification and ice sheet collapse supporting their conclusions about the increased urgency of tackling carbon emissions.
Dr. Hansen will brief journalists on his latest collaborative modelling and paleoclimate work, concluding that even 2C of global warming is “highly dangerous” and could lead to non-linear disintegration of ice sheets, ocean stratification and multi-meter sea level rise even within this century.
Dr. James Hansen is a professor at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University and former head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
Dr. Kerry Emanuel is a professor of atmospheric science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Tom Wigley is a climate scientist at the University of Adelaide.
Dr. Ken Caldeira is a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science, and at the Stanford University Department of Earth System Science.
editor@greentechlead.com
As much as the world needs to tend to reducing CO2 emissions of tomorrow it must first deal with the trillion tonnes of ocean killing CO2 already emitted in all of our yesterday’s in this fossil fuel age. CO2 takes centuries to be naturally removed from the air and it does so primarily by dissolving into the ocean where H2O+CO2 become H2CO3 carbonic acid. The first trillion tonne dose is already a lethal dose, teaching people to not administer a second lethal dose, tomorrows CO2, is too little too late!
While these scientists call out for new funding initiatives for their favourite pursuits they eschew the immediately deployable low cost solution that can begin converting billions of tonnes of CO2 each year into ocean life instead of ocean death and climate change. Mere millions of dollars each year can safely and effectively restore and revive ocean fish pastures in all of the world’s seven seas and in doing so covert billions of tonnes, the lions share of yesterdays and tomorrows CO2 into ocean life itself. Billions of additional fish will swim into the nets and onto the plates of hungry people around the world dying for want of low cost nutritious food. All for less than the interest would provide if sum equal to the billion dollars about to be spent over the course of 11 days that these and tens of thousands of their ilk will spend at the Paris COP21. http://russgeorge.net/2015/11/05/paris-cop21-eat-fish-cake/