Now we know how long we’ve got….5 years!
A report today in The Age sites the recently released World Energy Outlook report of 2011. The World Energy Outlook report is compiled yearly by the world’s International Energy Agency. The section on climate change makes for disturbing and alarming reading and paints the timeline we’ve got to avoid runaway dangerous climate change.
”the world is on track to build enough fossil-fuel power stations, energy-intensive factories and buildings by 2017 to close the door on keeping climate change to a safe level.
The outlook says coal consumption needs to peak well before 2020 if the world wants to halt global warming at a 2 degrees rise, which scientists say is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
If energy and climate policies currently proposed by all world governments – including Australia’s carbon tax – are put in place, temperatures will rise by 3.5 degrees. If the world remains on its current path of growth in fossil fuels global temperatures will rise by 6 degrees, the outlook says.
Agency chief economist Fatih Birol said if by 2017 there is not a start to major new clean infrastructure investments ”the door to 2 degrees will be closed”.
”I am very worried,” he said, ”if we don’t change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum. The door will be closed forever.”
It makes it clear that we simply don’t have time to transition slowly to so called “clean” gas, and need to skip this step and head straight to 100% renewables - right now! Can it be done, yes it can, here is the Beyond Zero Emissions stationary report again that explains how:
- Martin Ferguson’s response
Yet again our local member Martin Ferguson rallies against taking action….how did Martin Ferguson respond to this dire forecast of the future of the world?
“The flexibility of gas-fired technology and the fact it is the cleanest fossil fuel make it an attractive investment option. In addition to gas, the message I am getting firsthand out of China and India … is that coal-fired power will increase and Australia is well placed to supply coal to fuel their growing economies.”
Good on you Martin – business as usual, head in the sand, no problem….. unbelievable stuff, especially given the IEA are regarded as a conservative factual based organisation. They are not prone to alarmist reporting with out very good cause. So, who should we trust – the IEA or Martin. Hmmmm
- Martin made Ministerial Chair at the IEA
What’s more disturbing is that Martin now holds the role of “Ministerial Chair” (p22) at the IEA – his role is to “lead and facilitate the discussions among all the ministers, of member countries and of visitors alike, as they discuss developing the tools needed to improve energy security and sustainability in the face of a number of pressing challenges to the global energy picture”.
Disturbing stuff now that the IEA Ministerial Chair is heading by our very own Martin – I wonder what this will do to the IEA in rallying for action against global warming?
Are they aware that Martin is regarded in Australia as one of the top 12 green house gas mafia members? This is a disguinshed club of key players in Australia rallying against action on climate change and now one them (Martin) is the Ministerial Chair, right when we have 5 years left to avert unavoidable run away climate change – in our kids life times!!The mind truly boggles.
Not to mention that Martin is contradicting the distinguished organisation that he is now the Ministerial Chair of?? The mind boggles again!
