The Copenhagen IPCC report is released today.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/02/rapid-carbon-emission-cuts-severe-impact-climate-change-ipcc-report
The article contains these two conflicting comments.
"The lowest cost route to stopping dangerous warming would be for emissions to peak by 2020 – an extremely challenging goal – and then fall to zero later this century."
but
"The report also makes clear that carbon emissions, mainly from burning coal, oil and gas, are currently rising to record levels, not falling."
I'm afraid that looks to this bear of little brain like we're all doomed. Mankind will continue business as usual, with accelerating carbon emissions until either resource limits or pollution (in the form of global warming, smog or whatever) put a hard stop to it. The question is when, not if.
I've no doubt people will latch onto the uncertainties, or to phrases like this. "Tackling climate change need only trim economic growth rates by a tiny fraction, the IPCC states, and may actually improve growth by providing other benefits, such as cutting health-damaging air pollution. And they'll try to say that it's not that bad really and can be dealt with. I'm afraid though that I simply don't see how China, India, USA and others will ever want to slow down until nature forces them to.
Oklahoma Republican Inhofe has been denying the science behind climate change for 20 years – long before it became a cause for the conservative tea party wing. Following midterm elections which saw the Republicans take control of the senate, he is now expected to become the chairman of the senate environment and public works committee.
And so it goes.
China's emissions expected to rise until 2030, despite ambitious green policies The world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases has taken steps to boost renewables, but GDP growth is still the priority
As part of the agreement, Mr. Obama announced that the United States would emit 26 percent to 28 percent less carbon in 2025 than it did in 2005. That is double the pace of reduction it targeted for the period from 2005 to 2020.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/world/asia/china-us-xi-obama-apec.html