environment
Global Climate Change the Topic of the Boise Frank Church Conference
After the U.S. refused to follow the Kyoto Protocol on the environment, all eyes are turning to December's climate change conference in Copenhagen.
By Sharon Fisher, 10-20-09
Recalling her late husband’s statement, “Give Earth a chance,” Bethine Church opened the 26th annual Frank Church Conference on the Global Environment in Boise.
Subtitled “From Kyoto to Copenhagen,” the conference focused on climate change since the Kyoto Protocol—which then-President George W. Bush refused in 2001 to sign—and the approach of the Copenhagen Climate Conference, scheduled for December, which Church speakers expect President Barack Obama to attend.
The meeting was held at the same time that some experts are saying they doubt a comprehensive and binding new treaty on global warming will result, though they still consider the meeting to be significant.
Named after the late Idaho Senator Frank Church, who championed environmental causes, particularly the designation of wilderness areas, the Frank Church Institute, located at Boise State University, is intended to honor Church’s achievements and carry forward his principles through methods such as holding these annual conferences and funding a professorship in international relations each year. This year’s was awarded to Dr. Gregory Raymond.
Two major issues are slated to be discussed on Copenhagen, said speaker Dr. John Reading, vice president and consulting economist for Ben Johnson and Associates. First is the continuing problem of reducing emissions, and second is how the so-called developed world is going to help the developing world reduce its emissions.
“The developing countries say, ‘You already got it, you already trashed the planet, you need to help us,’” Reading said.
The developing world is asking for tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid from countries such as the U.S., said former Florida congressman Dan Miller, which is not likely to go over well in the current economic climate, he said.
“The obstacles on meaningful legislation in this area are formidable,” said former New York congressman Matthew McHugh.
However, it’s important for developing countries to reduce their emissions, which are continuing to grow despite the Kyoto Protocol, said Michael Buck, a representative from the National Association of Foresters. “Kyoto has not worked,” he said. “It raised attention, but as far as cutting emissions, everything is still on the rise.” In addition, global warming caused by increased emissions is most likely to affect the poorest nations, he said.
[End of article]So you call yourselves Christians? How is telling my kids that we have to save the planet supposed to be love?
Stop scaring my kids with this 23 year old dead theory.
Bottom line, is it's all about the money, isn't it? The "opinion" expressed that "global warming caused by increased emissions", is just that. There is still NO agreement among scientists that emissions play a significant part in the balance of the atmosphere. Temperture change is part of the historical cycle of our planet.
Comment By Todd, 10-22-09I love global warming believers. They will go out in a blizzard in DC to protest global warming, anybody paying attention to what has happened to the potatoes and sugar beets in early October in the Northern Rockies? Still to a believer it is a sign of warming. Start frosts even earlier and there will be no food, especially with the cold prolonged springs.
Comment By Talia, 10-22-09National and international science academies and scientific have largely followed or endorsed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) position of January 2001:
"An increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other changes in the climate system... There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities." No scientific body of national or international standing has maintained a dissenting opinion since 2007!
The climactic record shows that although the ice age was on the whole cooler, the *range* of temperatures varied much less. Therefore, if we continue in our current trends, we will likely see many more record lows and crop failure due to global warming, although it seems counter-intuitive.