Using
computer modeling, researchers at the University of Calgary and the
University of Victoria in Canada evaluated the effects on the
environment if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were reduced to zero by
2010 and by 2100, and predicted the results going out to the year 3000.
To
the researchers' surprise, the modeling indicated that climate change
will continue warming the atmosphere for a long time even without any
further emissions. As a result, disasters are inevitable, including a
30% drying out of parts of North Africa.
In addition, the heat's
spread could raise deep ocean temperatures by as much as 5 degrees,
causing the eventual collapse of the massive Western Antarctic ice sheet
and a consequent several-meter sea level rise.
University of
Calgary geography Professor Shawn Marshall stated, “Even if we change
behavior and totally change society, we're still in store for a lot of
bad scenarios.” However, he pointed out that despite the long-term
effect of present-day CO2 emissions, it is still necessary to mitigate
them, and that by doing so some of the damaging effects, such as Arctic
sea ice loss, could be slowed or even reversed.
The study
reinforces other research, such as that done by Dr. David Archer at the
University of Chicago, USA, which finds that because CO2 has such a long
atmospheric lifetime, those reductions alone will not succeed in
reversing climate change.
As a result, a small but growing
number of climate experts and organizations such as the Climate
Institute and the Arctic Council are calling for policies to focus on
reducing methane, ground level ozone and black carbon, all of which
dissipate from the atmosphere much more quickly.
Professor
Marshall, Dr. Archer and colleagues, we appreciate your work in further
revealing the complexities of climate change and the threats we face
even with a complete elimination of CO2 today. We look forward to
humanity's adoption of fast-acting solutions to save lives and our
Earth.
During a March 2009 videoconference in California, USA,
Supreme Master Ching Hai explained another factor besides carbon dioxide
in global warming that could help to cool the planet.
Supreme Master Ching Hai :
Climate scientists are telling us more and more that if we reduce
livestock industry, we'd reduce methane. And that is the most immediate
way to cool the planet, because CO2 from fossil fuel may take tens of
thousands of years, to leave the atmosphere and cool the planet,
according to the research.
But methane hotter than CO2, and
dissipate on average over 10 years or 20 years. The latest report from
IPCC scientist Dr. Kirk Smith in the USA said that methane could be 60
to100 times hotter than CO2, averaged over 20 years.
So, if methane is reduced, the warming will be reduced immediately.
So, the way we reduce the methane is by reducing animal agriculture. We have to change to a vegetarian diet, animal-free diet.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/new-study-suggests-climate-change-would-
continue-even-without-greenhouse-gases/article1863311/ http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFN0828153820110109.pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 ,
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20110110/climate-change-greenhouse-gases-study-110110/