In Feb 2011, UNEP (UN Environment Program)
published a report “Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric
Ozone"
The report shows that:
The projected rise in global temperatures could be cut in half in coming
years if world governments focused on reducing emissions of two harmful
pollutants - Black Carbon
and ground-level ozone, including Methane - rather than carbon dioxide alone.The study further shows that a fairly aggressive strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions under current reduction scenarios "does little to mitigate warming over the next 20 to 30 years". With carbon dioxide reductions alone, global temperatures are still projected to rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius by 2050 over pre-industrial levels.
But reducing black carbon and ground-level ozone reductions would delay the warming for another 20 years, until 2070, according to the study.
The following are additional info on the report:
Washinton Post : "Global warming rate could be halved by
controlling 2 pollutants, UN study says"
NASA: "Cleaning the air would limit short-term climate
warming"
Summary of the Articles:
1. Limiting Methane & Black Carbon could reduce ½ the warming that we
will otherwise face over the next 40 yrs. [Reduce 0.5 Deg C of warming]
2. Adopting 16 control measures to reduce Black Carbon, Ground level Ozone
and Methane would save 2 million lives a yr and save 50 million tons of crops a
year.
16 control measures include:
For black carbon,
for example, we looked at the impact that replacing traditional cook stoves
with cleaner-burning options, putting particle filters on vehicles, or banning
the burning of agricultural waste might have. For ozone, we looked at measures
like fixing leaky gas pipes, limiting methane emissions from mines, upgrading
wastewater treatment systems, and aerating rice paddies.
3. Limiting Black Carbon, Ground level Ozone and Methane could reduce 2/3 of
the warming in the Arctic over the next 50 years.
Adopting the 16 control measures could mitigate about two-thirds of
the warming we'll likely otherwise see in the Arctic over the next
half-century.
4. Reducing black carbon and ground-level ozone
reductions would delay the warming for another 20 years
………..
The Full Report [37 pages] can be found in
the following link:
UNEP Feb 2011 Report “Integrated Assessment
of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone”
…..
Mr Bill Clinton, former US President, spoke about
the report in Apr 2011.
He informs that Methane (from Animal Waste and
Urban Garbage dumps) takes 12 years to disperse in the atmosphere while CO2 can
take 100 years. He mention about the UN Feb 2011
report and informs that making an aggressive effort to reduce Methane &
Black Carbon in the atmosphere would buy the world another 20 years to deal
with the CO2 issue.
Mr Bill Clinton on Climate change and Methane (4 mins)
…..
During Dec 2011 UN Climate Change conference in
Durban, Mrs Maneka Gandhi, long time environmental advocate and member of the Indian
parliament, also speaks about the importance of reducing Methane
to reduce Global Warming:
Maneka
Gandhi declares COP17 must deal with Methane: (video) 7 mins
………..
The following is a compiled documentary showing the relation
between Animal agriculture and Methane: (5 mins)
Animal agriculture causes 36% of Global Methane
emissions.
Burning forest caused 40% of black carbon emissions.
Thus, to reduce Methane and Black Carbon, we need to
reduce animal industry and reduce the burning of forest.
We can help by reducing
meat consumption (to reduce animal industry) and supporting measures that
protect the forest. (reduce the burning of forest, plant trees etc)
One way to start is by adopting meatless days to
help the planet:
www.veggiethursday.sg
http://www.meatfreemondays.co.uk/
Let’s do all we can
to help the planet.www.veggiethursday.sg
http://www.meatfreemondays.co.uk/
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