Climate Change News
Below are news items on climate change – many with relevance to aviation
Europe counts saved carbon emissions as flights stay grounded
The grounding of 63,000 flights over the past 4 days (and continuing) has saved 1.3 million tonnes of CO2, more than the annual emissions of many developing countries. Aviation is responsible for about 2% of global emissions of CO2, but for more than 6% of Britain’s CO2 emissions. On a normal day, the 28,000 flights in European airspace emit about 560,000 tonnes of CO2, or a third of the world’s aviation emissions. Some flying habits may be changed permanently.
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Climate Change: It’s still real and it’s still a problem
Climate-related controversies and the outcome of the Copenhagen summit widely regarded as a failure have left a sense of hopelessness in climate policy, says Lord Chris Smith. He stresses the soundness of the fundamental climate science and the need to continue pushing for meaningful climate deals. The worst response to Copenhagen would be to throw up our hands in horror,say nothing was achieved and give up. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. (BBC)
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Industries hoarding greenhouse gas emission permits
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IATA enters legal case brought by ATA and 3 US airlines against the UK over the Aviation EU ETS
IATA has filed an "amicus brief" in London ahead of the hearing expected this month into the case brought by the ATA and American Airlines, Continental and United – over the aviation EU ETS. They claim that unilaterally applying the EU ETS to non-EU airlines is in breach of the Convention on International Civil Aviation 1944 – the Chicago Convention. A government consultation on the transposition of the ETS ends on March 5th. (GreenAir online)
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Aviation was 6.3% of the UK’s CO2 in 2008 (and 12% of its climate change effect)
The AEF (Aviation Environment Federation) have done a bit of calculation on the government figures on CO2 emissions, and found that - in 2008 (as the 2009 figures are not yet available) - Aviation was 6.3% of the UK's CO2 (and 12% of its climate change effect)
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Climate sceptics are recycled critics of controls on tobacco and acid rain
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Skeptical Science – all the arguments anyone every needed on climate change
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Climate sceptics denounced by Brown as he launches climate change group
Gordon Brown has launched a new UN climate fundraising group, and says sceptics go 'against the grain' of scientific evidence. He will co-chair the UN High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing. It aims to raise £19 bn over the next 3 years - rising to £60 bn annually by 2020 – to help poor countries limit their emissions and adapt to climate change. He said Britain supports a legally-binding agreement at in Cancun later this year. (Guardian)
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Coalition of denial: The sceptics who are trying to reshape the climate debate
Who are the main climate sceptics? What are their main points? Several articles that show who is who, and what they are saying. Lomborg. Monckton. Bellamy. Griffin. Levitt and Dubner. Lawson. Peiser. Pilmer. Inhofe. Klaus. Wilson. Milloy. Michaels. Palin. Phillips. Booker.
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