Calls for action on climate at youth summit

[rooster59]

Calls for action on climate at youth summit

BANGKOK: Delegates, bosses want govts to act

A CALL to raise awareness on climate change was made yesterday at the One Young World Summit Bangkok, with 2015 highlighted as the turning point to tackle the problem.

The director of sustainability at Berlin-based multinational conglomerate Siemens AG, told the conference everyone had to recognise the threat of global warming and play a part in reducing global carbon dioxide emissions to less than 1,000 gigatons this century.

Rabe said it was imperative the rising world temperature did not increase by more than two degrees Celsius.

He said this year was the critical time before the point of no return.

"Since the industrial revolution, we have emitted 2,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and we approximately release 40 to 50 gigatons of carbon dioxide every year. If this trend continues, the global temperature will rise five degrees Celsius by the end of this century," he said.

He warned that if such a scenario happened, a tremendous impact would be felt worldwide and Bangkok would be submerged under water - the same as most coastal cities around the world.

"Even with the COP (Paris Climate Conference) pledges to reduce the CO2 emissions, the temperature will rise 2.7 degrees Celsius in the year 2100. We have to do more than that by limiting the CO2 emissions to no more than 1,000 gigatons, which means we have to leave three quarters of all fossil fuels underground and use 'clean' energy," he said.

At the summit, delegates recorded video messages to their governments expressing their angst over global warming.

Barbados delegate Shamelle Rice, 28, was one who recorded a message.

"I want to raise the awareness of global warming among the people of Barbados because in my country many people don't even know about climate change and I want my government to do something on this issue," Rice said.

She said Barbados, an island country in the Caribbean, had already felt the impact of global warming as the temperature was getting hotter and the coastline was eroding.

"I believe that the best way to prevent the worst of climate change is to inform people with the real facts," she said.

On a bright note, Rabe said that with the pace of technological developments he was sure our reliance on fossil fuels could be reduced.

He predicted there would be a wider use of electronic vehicles and cheap clean energy in the near future.

"Just recently, the United Kingdom announced that they will shut down all coal power plants within 2025. This is a very good progress that I wish other countries will follow," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Calls-for-action-on-climate-at-youth-summit-30273418.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-21

[Jeremy50]

They can 'express their angst' about global warming all they want. Nobody is ever going to do anything about it, not now, not ever. With a quarter of the world's human population, the planet might have a fighting chance. Oddly, no one ever wants to talk about population control.

[jaltsc]

"At the summit, delegates recorded video messages to their governments expressing their angst over global warming."

I'll remember that when I'm coughing my lungs up during the burning season this March and April, and the government here has done squat to curb people from setting the valley and mountainside on fire.

[impulse]

"I want to raise the awareness of global warming among the people of Barbados because in my country many people don't even know about climate change and I want my government to do something on this issue," Rice said.

So I got on an airplane and dumped umpteen tons of carbon into the atmosphere flying around the world to meet with hundreds of other concerned youngsters from around the world on the same boondoggle. To save the world, of course.

[DM07]

No need- global warming is just a hoax by the liberals! ...in 3....2....1...

[connda]

This is your brain on CO₂

_{Nothing like a young mind that is well scrubbed and clean!}

[DogNo1]

There was recently an article in the National Geographic about the terrible destruction of the Amazon Rain Forest that has been going on. Urgent articles have been published about this for at least 35 years. Who is going to do anything about it? Certainly not the corrupt legislatures and officials charged with maintaining the rain forest in a pristine condition. They are only too happy to allow countless miles of the forest to be leveled to plant palm oil trees.

Likewise, the damming of the Mekong and the enormous proliferation of coal-fired power plants in China seemingly can't be prevented. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about all of this unless effective proposals for maintaining the rain forest, limiting damming on life-blood rivers, cutting back on the use of coal and limiting population are put forth. The toothless wailing sets my nerves on edge!

[tbthailand]

He predicted there would be a wider use of electronic vehicles and cheap clean energy in the near future.

Dear The Nation, they are electric, not electronic vehicles, and for the statement, running on electricity doesn't guarantee that they are clean.

And clean energy - even when it is not "cheap" - is so much less expensive that what we'll face if we keep going down the current path.