Read All About It
The IPCC's 4th Assessement "Summary for Policy Makers" or SPM (now, there's an unfortunate acronym) was released today. This is either really big news or a non-event depending on how you view world affairs. And, of course, there's always something a little anti-climactic about the release of a (yawn) report. But man, this is the Mother of All Reports (well, the policymakers' summary of it; the full scientific report won't be out til April) when it comes to climate change -- a synopsis of the official scientific concensus on climate change.
So, what does it say? I don't know yet. I haven't read it. How's that for honest? But I will, and you might want to as well. Don't worry: It's only 21 pages.
In the meantime, note that the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has offered $10K, cash on the barrelhead to any economist or scientist who can come up with a refutation of the summary's conclusions. Being funded by Exxon Mobil, the AEI has boatloads of cash but very little shame. Now that I think of it, $10K seems a pretty low figure. Have you seen Exxon's latest earnings? They may want to up the ante.
So, what does it say? I don't know yet. I haven't read it. How's that for honest? But I will, and you might want to as well. Don't worry: It's only 21 pages.
In the meantime, note that the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has offered $10K, cash on the barrelhead to any economist or scientist who can come up with a refutation of the summary's conclusions. Being funded by Exxon Mobil, the AEI has boatloads of cash but very little shame. Now that I think of it, $10K seems a pretty low figure. Have you seen Exxon's latest earnings? They may want to up the ante.
3 Comments:
Here at the Center for Global Development we read the report first thing this morning. My colleague, CGD Senior Fellow David Wheeler, who recently joined us from the World Bank, had two conclusions: First, the report strengthens the consensus that global warming is human caused, and that it will lead to major disruptions. Second, the sea level rise estimates do not take into account the melting of the Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets, which recent scientific reports show to be proceeding more quickly than expected. Drawing on an unpublished World Bank study that he contributed to, Wheeler explains how sea level rise could displace hundreds of millions of people, mostly poor people in developing countries. He writes:
To see what this means for developing countries, consider the situation in the fertile delta regions that feed Egypt and Vietnam. A 3-meter sea-level rise will drown Egypt's Nile Delta, and a 1-meter rise will inundate much of its fertile land. In Vietnam, the high-risk "red zone", less than 5 meters above sea level, holds 38% of the country's population, 36% of its GDP, and 87% of its wetlands. As the sea rises, progressive inundation, high tides and storm surges will take an increasing toll. And, of course, many low-lying island nations and coastal areas of other countries will also go under.
Learn more here: http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2007/02/the_ipcc_debate_on_sealevel_ri_1.php
Lynn Cheney, wife of Vice President Cheney, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
Information Source:
wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Enterprise_Institute#President_and_trustees
Al Gore's family made hundreds of thousands of dollars from Big Oil company Occidental Petroleum
source
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/677105.stm
www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/01/26/al-gore-the-film-star_n_14475.html
Silverstein says the U’wa opposition to Occidental’s plans represents something of a last stand. "A 1998 report by Terry Freitas — one of three U'wa supporters from the United States killed by leftist guerrillas while visiting the tribe's territory last year — says that the Colombian government stripped the tribe of 85 percent of its land between 1940 and 1970,” he explained.
He quotes Roberto Perez, president of the Traditional Authority of the U'wa People, as saying: "The key issue for indigenous groups is defending our territory ... The Occidental project is an affront to our livelihood, our lives and our culture."
Gore has repeatedly refused pleas from fellow Democrats to meet with Perez.
Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, for example, told Silverstein she wrote to Gore and asked him to meet with U'wa leader Perez and to support an immediate suspension of the Occidental project.
"I am concerned that the operations of oil companies, and in particular Occidental Petroleum, are exacerbating an already explosive situation, with disastrous consequences for the local indigenous people," she wrote. "I am contacting you because you have remained silent on this issue despite your strong financial interests and family ties with Occidental."
She wrote to Gore again on March 30 to complain about his failure to answer her previous letter. Finally Gore sent her a note saying he simply didn’t have the time to meet with Perez.
http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/5/11/124032
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