by Gioietta Kuo

(Dr. Kuo is a Senior Research Fellow for the American Center for International Studies)

INTRODUCTION

About 2 years ago, the consensus of world’s eminent climatologists  like Sir David King and Dr James Hansen  were unified in their opinion that the world could survive eventually 450 ppm – parts per million, of CO2 (then at 385 ppm) in the atmosphere.  Even so, according to them, there is no time to lose, the world’s governments should adopt a radically different energy policy to eradicate fossil fuel use.    If we  continue business as usual in the next ten 10 years then the planet will reach a point of no return.

Since then, 2 years have passed, there has been no drastic reduction in CO2 emission in the world and CO2 concentration has increased by 2 ppm per year.  In the meantime, more and more signs of global warming, such as the sharp rise in arctic temperature and Greenland ice melt, together with an improved study of data of the earth’s
climate history have the climatologists alarmed.    Led (more…)