World needs to axe greenhouse gases by 80 pct: report - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World needs to axe greenhouse gases by 80 pct: report

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
Thu Apr 19, 9:50 AM ET

OSLO (Reuters) - The world will have to axe greenhouse gas emissions
by 80 percent by 2050, more deeply than planned, to have an even
chance of curbing global warming in line with European Union goals,
researchers said on Thursday.

Even tough long-term curbs foreseen by the EU or California fall short
of reductions needed to avert a 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit)
temperature rise over pre-industrial times, seen by the EU as a
threshold for "dangerous change," they said.

"If we are to have a 50 percent chance of meeting a 2 Celsius target
we would have to cut global emissions by 80 percent by 2050," Nathan
Rive of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research
in Oslo told Reuters.

"Any delay in implementing emissions reductions will make a 2 degree
target practically unreachable," he and colleague Steffen Kallbekken
wrote of findings to be published in the journal Climatic Change.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070419/sc_nm/globalwarming_dc

[NMDemDist2]

1. I wonder how much $$$ and emissions we could save by just turning off

lights on stores and freeways?

It never made sense to me why we light the freeways in cities to the point you don't even need your headlights.

and why have your store sign lit up if you aren't open?

the other thing that rarely gets mentioned is the emissions from the diesel rail road engines. is there a way to clean those up too?

[damntexdem]

2. There are many ways to save energy, but ...

I prefer that the freeways be well-lighted -- smoke from vehicles burning after a multi-vehicle crash is also bad for the environment.

And those railroad diesels represent a much-more efficient mode of transportation than do motor vehicles running on roads. But in that regard, note that biodiesel is much cleaner than petrodiesel, and in fact will clean the diesel engines of vehicles that previously used petrodiesel. And biodiesel that is made from waste oil and oil from waste vegetable matter (rather than from crops raised specifically for fuel) does not detract from food raising, and at the same time makes use of what might otherwise be 'disposed of' in environmentally-damaging ways.

[NMDemDist2]

4. good ideas on the diesel but why do you want/need the freeways lit up

and couldn't we take out 2 of every 3 lights and still have it bright enough?

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. In my experience...

It's not necessary to light the entire highway, but it's sure nice if the interchanges are well lit.

[BonnieJW]

3. I wildlife biologist told me

that the first thing that should be done is cover the entire roof of every mall in America. The energy savings would be enormous.

[NMDemDist2]

5. cover them with what? n/t

[OKIsItJustMe]

9. While you're at it...

Cover the roof with solar cells.

http://www.blog.thesietch.org/2007/03/09/installing-thin-film-solar-on-metal-roof-easier-than-falling-off-a-log/

http://www.uni-solar.com/interior.asp?id=83

[razzleberry]

6. Norway is a bad example

their Kyoto number is 101, they get an increase of 1%.

they are currrently ten percent over their 1990 baseline,
with nothing in sight to fix that,
other than,
I suppose they could buy phoney carbon credits.

[Possumpoint]

7. 80%

You can only run your heat 4,8 hours instead of 24 hours a day during the winter, same number of hours per day for A/C.

Ditto for hot water heater, lights, computer, refrigerator, and any other electrical device left on 24 hours a day.

You would only be allowed to drive 2400 miles a year instead of the 12,000 average.

Number of Airline fights would be cut by 80%.

All in all I'm kinda glad my life expectancy is such that I won't live much past 2020.

[NMDemDist2]

10. that's all assuming we don't bring alternative power sources online

it's not all doom and gloom.

we just need an "Apollo" style project to crash course us into cleaner greener power

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. "We", as in the developed world (eg computer using) must cut a lot more than that

From the article:

An 80 percent global cut would mean rich nations, responsible for most heat-trapping emissions from fossil fuels burnt by power plants, factories and cars, would have to axe emissions by about 95 percent below 2000 levels by 2050.

Developing countries such as China, India, Brazil and Indonesia, where emissions are rising sharply in line with energy use to help lift millions from poverty, would have to take on less swinging reductions, they said.

"Even the most ambitious proposals for emissions cuts in 2050, such as the UK draft climate bill which sets a cut of 60 percent, or the California target to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050, fall short," they said.

Cut your driving from 12,000 miles to 600 a year.

[NickB79]

12. Even if you don't live past 2020, don't you have any children?

Or grandchildren? Nieces or nephews? Even if you knew you'd be dead before the worst of it starts to set in, don't you think it is your duty to do what you can now to ensure that the future generations don't have to suffer?