Rhein on Energy and Climate

Archives for Climate change

Ever heard that climate change is the no 1 issue for humanity? Since oil prices have fallen by 20 percent from their record level of $147/b and Russia has invaded Georgia, humanity seems to have forgotten the looming climate catastrophe. And with gasoline prices down to more acceptable levels everyone seems to have adapted to… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Scientists have been warning us for the past 20 years about the consequences of rising temperatures for the earth’s biosphere, forecasting increasing loss of biodiversity, more frequent epidemics, hurricanes and droughts. So far with little avail! Humanity continues business as usual, brushing aside local or regional disasters as the unavoidable by-effects of “economic development” that… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Of all the signatory countries of the Kyoto Protocol (1997) Canada deserves the worst rating. Its per capita C02 emissions are close to 20 to, higher than in any country except USA, Kuwait and Qatar. Instead of reducing its emissions by 5 percent over 1990, as it committed to, its C02 emissions have soared by… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Germany prides itself with being the most progressive country in the world in effectively fighting climate change. It has managed to cut C02 emissions by 20 percent between 1990 and 2007, largely thanks to ending extraordinary energy waste in former communist Eastern Germany and a big push for wind energy. Germany is therefore already fully… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The doubling of nominal oil prices is more effective in curbing climate change than the Kyoto Protocol and any climate policy measures taken so far. Politicians are therefore wrong and inconsistent when they try to dampen the impact of higher oil and gas prices. This goes for European heads of government or ministers, who propose… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

I. Humanity is towards a global cataclysm. It will be impossible to contain the rise of global temperature within the EU target two centigrade, unless the major emission countries take draconian and urgent action, without further delay. During 2002-06, global C02 emissions have been rising at an average annual rate of 3.6 percent, a bit… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

“We are committed to take strong leadership in combating climate change”: That was the key message from Heiligendamm in June 2007, with the German chancellor in the Chair. A year later, the G8 ministers of energy met in Aomori, Japan, in order to prepare the Hokkaido G8 meeting at the end of July. They had… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Environment ministers from the G 8 and 10 major emerging countries met in the Kobe, Japan, on May 24-26 in view of preparing the Hokkaido G 8 Summit in July that will focus on climate policy.The outcome has been disappointing. Ministers have not even been able to agree on reducing greenhouse gases by at least… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

This is the message that nine internationally renowned climate scientists address to the world after a thorough analysis of palaeo-climate data. The C02 content in the atmosphere has increased from 280 ppm in pre-industrial times to 385 ppm today. A quarter of the C02 emitted stays in the atmosphere for several centuries, cumulating with any… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein