WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

The ECO Centre prides itself on its moderate, unhysterical approach to the challenges we face as a result of energy, climate and sustainability issues.  But we are becoming increasingly frustrated at the conflicting policies and statements issues by local and national government in Wales, the UK and elsewhere. We know collective government action on serious environmental threats is possible. Consider the speed and extent of legislation about CFCs as a result of the expansion of holes in the Ozone Layer. Also consider the fact that campaigns to encourage volunteer action has concluded with legislation e.g. smoking in public places and wearing seatbelts.

A recent Viewpoint published on the BBC News website by Ann Pettifor (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7385615.stm) articulates the case for government lobbying on the scale of the civil rights movement or the abolition of slavery. The article is as interesting for the comments it illisits as the content itself.

But overall, we are inclined to agree that as long as there is no compulsion then the bulk of people are not going to moderate their consumption. It is this consumption that is at the heart of the problems that link sustainability, climate change and peak oil.

Our friends at CAT have compiled a number of hard hitting quotes from people that Government would be well-advised to listen to. Indeed some of the people were appointed by the Government. If we can't persuade them through the force of our arguments and actions then perhaps these guys can.

Prof. Martin Rees,President of the Royal Society 'There is significant scientific evidence that greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, are responsible for most of the temperature rise. Those who promote fringe scientific views but ignore the weight of evidence are playing a dangerous game. They run the risk of diverting attention from what we can do to ensure the world's population has the best possible future.'

Sir Nicholas Stern, 'Our actions over the coming few decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th Century'

David Attenborough 'I was sceptical about climate change. I was cautious about crying wolf. But I'm no longer sceptical. Now I do not have any doubt at all. I think climate change is the major challenge facing the world. I have waited until the proof was conclusive that it was humanity changing the climate. We may be facing major disasters on a global scale.'

James Hansen,head of the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York 'must urgently rethink targets for cutting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because of fears they have grossly underestimated the scale of the problem. What we have found is that the target we have all been aiming for is a disaster - a guaranteed disaster'

Sir John Houghton - Sceptics charge that the intergovernmental panel on climate change exaggerates the dangers. but Sir John, as one of the founders of the panel, says that it had "deliberately underestimated the problem". He says the latest projections of the floods and droughts that will result from the heating of the globe are "frightening". Because of human induced greenhouse gas emissions to date, a commitment to substantial climate change already exists, much of which will not be realised for several decades. Global warming is a "weapon of mass destruction"

R.K. Pachauri-IPCC 'Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising average sea level'.In Africa, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change by 2020. In the same year, in some countries yields from rainfed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50%.

Prof. Sir David King 'There is no bigger problem than climate change. The threat is quite simple, it's a threat to our civilization'.

James Lovelock. 'We are on the edge of the greatest die-off humanity has ever seen,' said Lovelock. 'We will be lucky if 20% of us survive what is coming. We should be scared stiff.' We have done too much damage to the world and now it is changing too fast for us to make much difference. 'Adults now have had the best time humanity has ever had. Now the party is over and the Earth is reckoning up.'

Sobering stuff.

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