|
The UN climate change conference in Copenhagen heard from US scientists that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is more than that suggested by official data, and that this could be because of under-reporting in the carbon exchange programme
The UN climate convention (UNFCCC) meeting in Copenhagen heard from scientists that emissions of some greenhouse gases are substantially higher than companies and countries report. Industrial gases such as sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) are the most potent greenhouse gases in the air, more so than carbon dioxide (CO2). Yet, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), these industrial gases contribute only about 1% to the man-made greenhouse effect. Ray Weiss from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, told the conference that his research and that of other groups suggests that the contribution of these gases may have been underestimated. In almost every case, atmospheric concentrations are higher than suggested in the emissions data -- sometimes five times higher. Weiss stated that this could be due to under-reporting of carbon credits by companies using this method. Under the Kyoto Protocol, rich countries and companies can gain carbon credits by paying companies in the developing world to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. “When we compare what’s reported with what we see in the atmosphere, it’s easy to see discrepancies,” Weiss said. Weiss questioned the reporting and monitoring of emissions under the carbon credits programme. Most instruments monitoring the air are based in isolated regions in order that they accurately reflect the global background level rather than local sources. But regional monitoring is starting to locate problem areas, says Weiss. “People have modified their factories to burn the gases rather than release them; we’re making measurements of HFC23 in Asian areas and we’re seeing results that are inconsistent with people burning as much as they say they’re burning.” However, the UN climate convention says it has no doubt these companies are doing what they say they are doing, because the monitoring system is robust. Meanwhile, the UK’s Meteorological Office (which, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, maintains one of the three global temperature records that is used by the IPCC) has just said that global average temperatures could reach a record high in 2010. Annual temperatures in 2010 will be 14.58 C (58.24 F). The current record is 14.52 C (58.14 F), which was set in 1998. It also said that the past decade has been the hottest since records began in the 1800s, a finding that was echoed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The combination of climate change and a moderate warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean will drive up temperatures, according to the Met Office. Source: BBC News, December 11, 2009
AFP, December 9, 2009
|
