U.K. Report: Warming Will Destroy Economy

Enlisting Al Gore, Blair Calls For 'Decisive Action' On Climate Change

(CBS/AP)  The report said at current trends average global temperatures will rise by 3.6 to 5.4 degrees within the next 50 years or so, and the earth will experience several degrees more of warming if emissions continue to grow.

It said such warming could have effects such as melting glaciers, rising sea levels, declining crop yields, drinking water shortages, higher death tolls from malnutrition and heat stress, and widespread outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever. Developing countries often would be the hardest hit.

The report acknowledged that its predictions regarding GDP relied on sparse data about high temperatures and developing countries, and placed monetary values on human health and the environment, "which is conceptually, ethically and empirically very difficult."

Treasury Chief Gordon Brown, who is expected to replace Blair as prime minister next year, said Britain would lead the international effort against climate change, establishing "an economy that is both pro-growth and pro-green." He called for Europe to cut its carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2020 and 60 percent by 2050 — and Blair's government on Monday said it would propose a British law to that effect.

Under the 1997 Kyoto accord, 35 industrialized nations committed to reducing emissions by an average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

But Britain is one of only a handful of industrialized nations whose greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in the last decade and a half, the United Nations said Monday.

The U.N. said Germany's emissions dropped 17 percent between 1990 and 2004, Britain's by 14 percent and France's by almost 1 percent.

Overall, there was a 2.4 percent rise in emissions by 41 industrialized nations from 2000 to 2004, mostly because former Soviet-bloc countries, whose emissions declined in their economic downturn of the 1990s, increased emissions during the recent four-year period by 4.1 percent.

The British government is considering new "green taxes" on cheap airline flights, fuel and high-emission vehicles.

[leifholmberg]

"bold and decisive action" to cut carbon emissions and stem the worst of the temperature rise.

As far as I know, the carbon and SO2 emmissions are artificially transformed into acids H2co3 and H2so4 by sprinkling a liquid soap inside all the factories "chimneys" high above the ground. The acids then go down through an outlet pipe together with the soap bubles to the accumulation tank and then they can be used for technical purposes or demolished. If instead of the soap bubles to place into the ascending SO2/CO2 hollow plastic spheres like ping-pong balls the balls would be dancing within them somewhat like they do inside a lottery drum. Only they should be molded from special plastic in a special way. Then if to sprinkle some water on their surface with the aim to increase the surface of contact for H2o and Co2/so2 then the durable plastic spheres would work more efficently then short life soap bubles. The technology of molding such hollow plastic spheres was patented in 1960-es in London, Great Britain by Mr. Leif Holmberg from Denmark (dead now). The method proved to be very sufficient. With kind respect, Vladimir.

[london_lee]

sharncedar please go away and educate yourself on what global warming and runaway greenhouse effect does..Hawaii?..try Venus for our Descendants

[sharncedar]

"The "scab lands" out west in the US are a perfect example of rapid and devastating events in nature that are weather based."

I'm not familiar with this science that says global warming will become global cooling, interesting if reasonable and not hype. But the naive interpretation is that global warming will be warming the climate, not cooling it, and generally an earth with more CO2 and warmer is a more fertile and pleasant earth for biology and life. Probably also wetter on land, it sounds like a pretty good climate. Like Hawaii everywhere, warm, nice, wet, pleasant and green. We can go back to a more idyllic human lifestyle perhaps, or who knows what, but generally change is good -- go with it, lose the fear.

As some economist said, in the long run everyone is dead anyway. For now, hey, greenery, heat, like one big Miami! alright!

[london_lee]

ANGRYliberal you seem to be the type of person that agreed with our countries descision to invade Iraq based on the "possiblility" they had and were supplying WMDs..sure, i can understand that.. thats call erring on the side of caution with very little evidence

..would you not agree that we should err on the side of caution this time around when it comes to global warming?..after all there is just a "little" bit more evidence that global warming is indeed happening and is being caused by us and if indeed true presents atleast as great a threat

[clestes-2009]

ANGRYliberal, you are too emotional to talk to. You let your fear run away with you. No one ever said gw had jack *** to do with attacking the trade center. Did he ignore warnings? emphatically yes! did he plan it? NO.

All I am saying is that gw is using any and all means he can to keep the country stirred up in a lather of fear so he can keep control of congress. Because he knows *** well that if he loses one or both houses of congress, his free ride is over and he will be answering a lot of uncomfortable questions.

His political survival is at stake here, not to mention his legacy. Look through the BS. It is all smoke and mirrors.

[angryliberal-2009]

Houser123, Actually nuclear global warming by means of Akmedenhajad unleashing nukes into Manhattan concerns me more than "global warming". And I am more "worried" about Fetus slaughter and gay marriage than global freezing i mean warming (freezings is what liberals preached in the 60's).So the democrats are gonna get in office and what......global warming is gone??? Yep, because the media will stop talking about and all of you moment driven liberals we be happy.

[troodon0352]

Global warming. Its a no brainer!! Politicians deny its existence (Bush and his boys and girls) because it suits his agenda.

[angryliberal-2009]

I mean just because you want to believe that there are not people evil enough in the world to commit mass genocide (i.e. Sadaam, Osama Bin Laden) and preach hatred doesnt mean they dont exist. Juyst because you deny something exists doesnt mean it doesnt exist

[angryliberal-2009]

I mean just because you want to believe that there are not people evil enough in the world to commit mass genocide (i.e. Sadaam, Osama Bin Laden) and preach hatred doesnt mean they dont exist. Juyst because you deny something exists doesnt mean it doesnt exist

[angryliberal-2009]

clestes, HEy everyone the strike up the twighlight zone music Celeses is in the building. What a massive undertaking to fool the whole world. So not only did dubya fool all of the world about Sadaam so he could get oil, he also drove the planes into the WTC, What else Celeses? Did dubya fake the nukes in North Korea? What does he want there? Did dubya get all the kurds to lie and say sadaam killed there families with chemical weapons? Hmmmm, celeses you show me precisley why liberals cannot be trusted in the.....well any where actually...lol.