4.1.
Arctic Ocean ice could melt by 2013
AM - Thursday, 13 December, 2007 08:08:00
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2117573.htm
Reporter: Barbara Miller
TONY EASTLEY: A year ago US scientists caused alarm when they predicted the Arctic Ocean could be free of summer ice by 2030, but now researchers say those estimates were far too conservative.
A US-based team has told a conference in California that the northern polar waters could be ice-free in summer by 2013.
Barbara Miller reports.
BARBARA MILLER: This year summer melting in the arctic reduced the ice-cover to just over four million square kilometres.
That might sound like a lot, but it's the smallest ever amount recorded in modern times.
And it's this kind of data, which has led researchers to say previous estimates of when the Arctic waters will be completely free of ice in summer, are far too conservative.
Professor Wieslaw Maslowski from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, has been presenting his work to a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
WIESLAW MASLOWSKI: We're just moving this date closer and closer to us simply because I believe what is happening, the system in the Arctic Ocean is very complex and from a mathematical point of view, it's non linear.
So there is a feedback loop that may accelerate this harder (phonetic) in a linear sense. Mainly they're forcing from the atmosphere, forcing from the ocean. The ice will Albedo effect which is simply where you remove ice, you heat, you warm the ocean, which can melt more ice even further, and those kind of feedbacks are actually in place in Arctic right now, which is possibly causing this accelerated melt.
BARBARA MILLER: What would the impact be if these projections were correct? That by 2013 and there was no summer ice?
WIESLAW MASLOWSKI: Well, there are two major impacts from the climate point of view.
One impact is that if we remove the sea ice, which is a very reflective ice cover in the high northern latitudes, we'll be observing much more solar radiation into the ocean and the feedback from the warmer ocean - one is feedback (inaudible), that the ocean will expand so we may see some associated increase of sea level due to the warmer ocean in the Arctic, which currently is at freezing temperature about 92 degrees centigrade.
Second effect or second important thing to keep in mind is that if we melt all this ice that is currently out there in the Arctic, every summer we will be exporting a lot of fresh water, much more than currently into the North Atlantic and this fresh water export from the Arctic may affect the ocean circulation, which in turn can affect regional or global climate.
BARBARA MILLER: When he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week, Al Gore referred to Professor Maslowski's work.
AL GORE: Last September 21, as the northern hemisphere tilted away from the sun, scientists reported with unprecedented alarm that the north polar ice cap is in their words, falling off a cliff.
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One study estimated that it could be completely gone during summer in less than 22 years. Another new study to be presented by US Navy researchers later this week warns it could happen in as little as seven years. Seven years from now.
BARBARA MILLER: As the world meets in Bali, Al Gore went on to repeat his calls for tough action on climate change.
The trouble is, it looks increasingly like it may already be too late.
4.2.
African walkout at Copenhagen talks
Emma Alberici reported this story on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 08:00:00
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2009/s2771772.htm
TONY EASTLEY: To a series of political brushfires in Copenhagen. Politics and pollution is a volatile mix and it's been the catalyst for a walkout by developing nations at the UN climate summit.
The mostly African states claim that rich nations are trying to abandon the Kyoto Protocol that binds the developed world to cuts in their carbon emissions.
The fracture at Copenhagen is not a good look, especially as 120 heads of state are about to arrive there for the summit's climax on Friday.
Correspondent Emma Alberici is in Copenhagen.
EMMA ALBERICI: Australia, the European Union, Japan and the United States are being accused of engaging in dirty tricks which undermine the integrity of the climate negotiations.
Lumumba Di-Aping who represents 130 small nations that form the G77 group led a walk out during the eighth day of talks over plans by the developed world to abandon the Kyoto Protocol.
LUMUMBA DI-APING: We are not afraid. We know that the developed countries have made that decision. That they would want to kill Kyoto Protocol in order to change the balance of obligations between developing countries and developed countries and that is absolutely unacceptable to all members of G77.
EMMA ALBERICI: The negotiations were suspended for two hours as environment groups led protests outside the conference halls.
PROTESTERS: We stand with Africa. Kyoto targets now. We stand with Africa. Kyoto targets now.
EMMA ALBERICI: The Kyoto Protocol is the only legally binding agreement the world has on climate change. The developing world wants to extend that deal rather than create a whole new framework which they fear will represent a watering down of commitments from the rich world.
Nnimmo Bassey of Friends of the Earth.
NNIMMO BASSEY: I will support African delegation. We are standing with them and we believe that it is wrong to push the issues behind closed doors. Everything must be put on the table, debated openly and with the full participation of every single delegate.
We don't believe it's right for a few people to sit down somewhere and cook up something. To kill the Kyoto Protocol as if it didn't matter.
EMMA ALBERICI: And you believe this is what is happening with the developed world?
NNIMMO BASSEY: Nobody came to Copenhagen just to while away the time. They got vacation time. It is time for serious business. Climate change is a serious crisis the world cannot afford to leave our leaders playing politics with climate change.
EMMA ALBERICI: The G77 were coaxed back in to the talks after a two hour suspension of proceedings. They blamed the conference president Connie Hedegaard for caving in to the demands of the developed world. A claim Denmark's Environment Minister dismisses.
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CONNIE HEDEGAARD: Today is about getting ministers to work on the crunch issues. Time is very short now and we must stop wasting a lot of time on procedural things and get to work because that is what the world deserves and also what the world expects from us.
EMMA ALBERICI: Is the developed world trying to kill Kyoto?
CONNIE HEDEGAARD: You know, I am here speaking on behalf of the presidency and I am trying to sort of unite all kind of different views here. We know that there are different views here also to that issue but we are respecting the mandate. We are preserving the two tracks.
EMMA ALBERICI: Could we end up with two agreements do you think?
CONNIE HEDEGAARD: I think we will have one package but I think that according to the two tracks of course there will be different agreements, different decisions.
EMMA ALBERICI: The talks are now travelling down two distinct roads. One involves an extension of the Kyoto commitments which expires in 2012. The other would see an entirely new agreement forcing the whole of the international community to act on climate change.
