Climate threat dwarfs environmental gains in 2008

30 Dec 2008

A leading environmental organisation has warned that progress made in 2008 in a number of areas is dwarfed by the immense threat now posed by climate change.

In a review of the year, Friends of the Earth Cymru welcomes successes such as the Climate Change Act, the go-ahead for the Gwynt y Môr wind farm and ambitious targets being set in Wales for recycling waste and producing electricity from renewable energy sources.

Overshadowing these, however, is clear evidence that climate change is happening sooner and with greater intensity than predicted[1], and that emissions of climate-changing gases are increasing at an accelerating pace[2].

The Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Gordon James, said:

"2008 was a year of environmental progress in a number of respects.

"In Wales, the Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, showed a determined approach that saw high targets being proposed for waste recycling and the generation of electricity from renewable energy systems, such as wind and tidal power. These will complement a target already set to cut greenhouse gas emissions by three per cent a year in Wales from 2011.

"Approval for the Gwynt y Môr wind farm off the North Wales coast was a big boost to achieving these targets.

"Similarly, the Agriculture Minister, Elin Jones, maintained a strong anti-GM position while proposals to build a new motorway across the Gwent Levels slipped down the agenda.

"The bad news was that, despite numerous positive initiatives, latest data shows emissions of greenhouse gases increased by almost 2 million tonnes between 2005 and 2006[3]. Wales is falling well-short of targets already set.

"At the UK level, the Climate Change Act became law setting a target to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 while the Energy Act will encourage the growth in small-scale renewable energy systems. The EU also overcame national differences to agree on a target of cutting emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.

"Achieving these targets, however, will be hugely challenging and scientific evidence is showing that rapid progress must be made if we are to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate change this century.

"An adviser to the Welsh Assembly Government, Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University, has warned in an influential paper[4] that global carbon emissions need to decline by six per cent a year with bigger cuts in industrialised countries.

"2009, particularly the UN's climate change conference at Copenhagen in December[5], will be a crucial year in deciding whether the biggest threat facing civilization is adequately addressed.

"We urge politicians at all levels to give climate change top priority in 2009 and to realise that, as Lord Stern has stated, investment in technologies to address climate change can help to pull the global economy out of recession[6]."

NOTES

1. Arctic ice is thawing much faster than predicted. On December 17^th, for instance, a study by the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre reported that 'Arctic amplification' - the process where declining sea ice amplifies air temperatures - is occurring at least 10 years sooner than expected. Temperature readings for this October were between 3⁰C and 5⁰C higher than normal for this time of year. Arctic ice is now in a rapid downward spiral and might well have passes the point of no return.
2. The Global Carbon Project reported that carbon dioxide emissions from human activity have been growing about four times faster since 2000 than in the previous decade.
3. 'Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990 - 2006' by AEA Technology for DEFRA.
4. Reframing the Climate Change Challenge in Light of Post 2000 Emission Trends by Professor Kevin Anderson and Dr Alice Bows of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University
5. www.erantis.com/events/denmark/copenhagen/climate-conference-2009/index.htm
6. Lord Stern writing in the Guardian on October 23^rd 2008

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