Chinese Air Passenger Numbers Continue Climbing

“Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth!” —Henry David Thoreau

831.5 Million air passengers passed through China’s airports in 2014: CAAC

Chinese air travelers made 831.5 million air journeys in 2014, a rise of 10.2 percent year on year, according to the official data provided by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), reported Xinhua.

• Domestic flights: 760.6 million (up 10.1 percent year on year)
• International flights: 70.9 million (up 11.7 percent)

About 28.3 percent of all passengers passed through Airports in the three megacities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, according to the data.

“The Beijing Capital International Airport became the nation’s busiest airport, registering more than 86.1 million trips in 2014, up 2.9 percent,” said the report.

Meantime, the amount of cargo transported by air increased to 13.6 million tons, up 7.8 percent year on year.

By the end of 2014, some 202 airports were operating in China, with 200 offering regular flights, according to CAAC.

Air Travel: Environmental Nightmare Worsened in 2014

3 Billion air journeys polluted skies and earth in 2014

More than 3 billion air journeys were taken globally in 2014, although the exact figures are yet to be released.

In 2013, the total number of passengers carried by airlines grew to 3,023,304,482 globally, according to data provided by the World Bank.

U.S. airlines lead the global pack, carrying 743,096,000 passengers (25% of the total), followed by the Chinese with 352,795,296, or 12 percent of the total.

30 Million international passengers carried by Chinese airlines in 2014

Chinese airlines carried more than 30 million international passengers (estimated 200,000 flights) in 2014, up 18 percent year on year, said a senior civil aviation official, Xinhua reported.

Chinese passengers accounted for more than 55 percent of all passengers on the flights between China and the United States, said the report.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) anticipates China’s domestic passenger capacity to rise 10.8 percent in 2015, while the growth rates of China-U.S., China-Europe and China-Asia Pacific flights will be 10 percent, 9 percent and 4 percent respectively, said the report.

Chinese airlines are planning to launch international routes from smaller cities, with foreign low-cost airlines being permitted to join the Chinese civil aviation market, according to the report.

In 1992, Chinese airlines carried a total of 29 million passengers, according to official statistics.

The number rapidly grew to about 120 million in 2004, and more than 320 million in 2012.

Top 25 Flyers in 2013 (and probably 2014) were:

1. United States: 743,096,000
2. China: 352,795,296
3. UK: 118,304,674
4. Japan 105,913,000
5. Germany 105,016,346
6. Brazil: 95,917,212
7. Ireland: 95,585,497
8. Indonesia: 85,102,827
9. India: 75,322,747
10. Turkey: 74,353,297
11. Canada: 71,526,726
12. Australia: 70,883,315
13. UAE: 69,191,127
14. France: 66,733,562
15. Russian Federation: 65,985,276
16. Malaysia: 46,317,632
17. Spain: 45,773,340
18. South Korea: 41,082,568
19. Thailand: 40,714,384
20. Mexico: 38,807,595
21. Hong Kong SAR, China: 34,206,136
22. Netherlands: 33,249,909
23. Singapore: 30,554,914
24. Philippines: 29,308,659
25. Saudi Arabia: 28,252,104

Air Travel Nightmare Worsened in 2014

UPDATED

https://feww.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/air-travel-environmental-nightmare-worsened-in-2014/

Another Airliner Missing!

AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing

An Indonesia AirAsia AirBus 320-200, flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board, has lost contact with air traffic control.

Flight QZ8501 went missing at 07:24 (23:24 UTC), the Malaysia-based AirAsia announced.

The Airbus disappeared about two hours into a three-hour flight, after requesting a “deviation” from the flight path, an increase in altitude to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet, due to turbulent weather. Contact was lost some 200 nautical miles southeast of the Singapore-Jakarta FIR boundary, authorities said.

There were 162 people on board including 7 cabin crew, said the company in a statement:

• Passengers: 138 adults, 16 children and one infant
• Crew: Two pilots and five cabin crew
• Nationalities: 156 Indonesians, three South Koreans and one each of French, Malaysian and Singaporean.
• “The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that one Briton was on board the flight, and next of kin have been informed,” Bbc reported.
• According to the flight manifest, some 23 passengers were listed as no shows.

Flight MH370

In March, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared with 239 people on board on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Flight MH17

In July, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shut down reportedly by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine. The wreckage was scattered over more than 10km between Luhansk and the neighboring Donetsk regions.

Flood Disaster

The disaster-stricken Malaysia is in the midst of its worst ever floods due to extreme rain events, which have forced more than 160,000 people to flee their homes in the worst-hit areas.

Air Disaster Links

• Second Malaysian Airliner Downed as Expected July 18, 2014
• Airlines

How men laid waste the sky as well as the earth

“Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth!” —Henry David Thoreau

Global Flight Paths

Visualizations of flight paths crossing the globe. Source: Michael Markieta/ via BBC

• More than 58,000 flight paths currently cross the globe.
• Frankfurt International is the world’s busiest airport with 235 direct flight destinations
• The busiest airports by continent are Atlanta, Beijing, Cairo, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo and Sydney. [Data from openflights.org/via BBC]

Related Links

• Airlines & Aviation Industry, Airline Safety, Air Travel …

Plane Crash Kills Many in Nigeria

Airliner crashes into building killing 193

A Dana Air passenger plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, crashed into a two-story building in poor, densely populated residential area of Lagos, killing all 153 people on board, and at least 40 people on the ground.

“Among the dead was the spokesman for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Levi Ajuonuma, according to a passenger list released by the airline. Ajuonuma was also de facto spokesman for the oil minister in OPEC member Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude producer,” Reuters reported.

At least four Chinese citizens were among the victims, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

The crash occurred  less than a day after a Nigerian Allied Cargo plane crash-landed in Ghana, killing at least 10 people on board.

Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian President, has  declared 3 days of national mourning.

• See also:  Airlines & Aviation Industry, Airline Safety, Air Travel …

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• NM, USA.  Gila National Forest Wildfire (Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire), the largest in New Mexico history, has grown to at least 250,000 acres, as of posting.
  • The fire was sparked by lightening on Wednesday May 16th, 2012.
  • The blaze is uncontrolled, though it is about 17 percent contained.

Whitewater Baldy Complex fire, Gila National Forest, NM.  June 3 Fire Progression Map – Source: Southern Area Incident Management Team

Gila National Forest Wildfire, June 2, 2012.

Photos by Kari Greer/ Credit: US Forest Service, Gila National Forest

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Puyehue Eruption – Recent Satellite Images

Ash Clouds from Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Continue to Disrupt Flights in Southern Hemisphere

The ash clouds have severely affected airline operations in South America.
Among the hardest hit airlines are Chile’s LAN and Brazil’s TAM and Gol, media reported.

“There are no signs that the situation is going to change or stabilize in the short term,” said director of Chile’s national service of geology and mining (SERNAGEOMIN).

“Fine ash, like we have seen from this latest eruption, could last (in the air) for months. If the ash column continues to measure up to 5.5 miles, it can spread easily. The higher the ash, the more it is blown elsewhere.”

Continuous eruption from Puyehue-Cordón Volcano Complex in Chile continues to eject large plumes of ash and volcanic gasses into the atmosphere, depositing thick layers of ash east of the volcano, as shown in this image captured by MODIS on the Terra satellite on June 13. The large mountain of ash could lead to deadly landslide and lahars, NASA reported SERNAGEOMIN as saying. Meantime, the ash is disrupting flights as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (3 MB, JPEG)  

Related Links

• Ash from Puyehue Cordón Caulle over Australia and NZ
• Puyehue Volcano Ash Clouding SH Skies
• Puyehue ash raises river temp, kills salmon stock
• Puyehue Volcano Satellite Images
• Puyehue volcano update
• Chile’s Puyehue volcano explodes

FIRE-EARTH Volcano Watch

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• World’s Dormant Volcanoes Firing
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [16 September 2009]

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Ash from Puyehue Cordón Caulle over Australia and NZ

Ash clouds from Puyehue Cordón Caulle continue to disrupt Australia, NZ flights

The ash plume from Puyehue Cordón Caulle covers southern Australia and the Tasman sea (above), as well as New Zealand and the South Pacific Ocean (below).

Both images were captured by MODIS on the Aqua satellite on June 13, 2011. Source: NASA-EO. Click images to enlarge.

Credit: NOAA and EUMETSAT

Puyehue-Cordón Caulle in Chile exploded on June 4, 2011 sending an ash plume to a height of about 16km, towering above the local clouds. The top image is a false-color image captured by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The image is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees.  The vertical profile of the atmosphere, captured by CALIPSO, is shown in the colored graph below the MODIS image.  Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.

Airline Flights

Australian airline Qantas said it was too dangerous to fly through the thick clouds of ash drifting over the Pacific Ocean from  continuous eruption at CORDON CAULLE volcano in the Puyehue Volcano Complex, Chile. Accordingly, it has cancelled all its flights to and from Melbourne. The decision follows earlier flight cancellations in and out of Tasmania and most of of New Zealand.

All other airlines, with the exception of Air New Zealand, have also grounded flights in the region.

The logic-defying Air New Zealand is risking the lives of its passengers by worming in out of the ash clouds, trying to dodge the worst of the plumes. The airline said it was adjusting flight paths to steer aircraft below the ash!!

The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand said they felt comfortable with Air New Zealand flight continuing below 20,000feet (6 km) because most of the ash appeared to be above that altitude.

“[Air New Zealand general manager airline operations and safety Captain] Capt Morgan said the MetService had advised that the ash cloud was now much higher and the Civil Aviation Authority was comfortable for domestic and trans-Tasman services to continue to operate.” a report said.

Air Travelers Don’t Seem to Get the Message!

Watch out for multiple planes falling out of the sky in the coming months due to “unknown” or “mysterious” causes.

One of the planes grounded in an Argentine airport after volcanic ash from the Puyehue Volcano eruption in early June 2011 disrupted air travel throughout the region. Credit: Reuters.

Related Links

• Puyehue Volcano Ash Clouding SH Skies
• Puyehue ash raises river temp, kills salmon stock
• Puyehue Volcano Satellite Images
• Puyehue volcano update
• Chile’s Puyehue volcano explodes

FIRE-EARTH Volcano Watch

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• World’s Dormant Volcanoes Firing
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [16 September 2009]

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Chikungunya Makes West Nile Look Like Nappy Rash

Chikungunya is coming!

Chikungunya is hyper-endemic in the islands of the Indian Ocean. Travel by air will import the infected mosquitoes and humans —Dr James Diaz

The ink hadn’t quite dried on

Arctic ice cover third-smallest area on record

in which the FEWW Moderators, discussing the dire effects of climate change on human health,  wrote:

‘Warmer [and dirtier] waters increase mosquito reproduction, which in turn increase the incidence of  mosquito-borne infectious diseases.’

When the news of  Chikungunya arrived.

Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease, much worse than the West Nile virus, could become the next nightmare epidemic in the US and Europe.

Stegomyia aegypti (formerly Aedes aegypti) mosquito siting on a human. Photo: USDA.

Who’s Afraid of Chikungunya?

“We’re very worried,” Dr. James Diaz of the Louisiana University Health Sciences Center told a meeting on airlines, airports and disease transmission sponsored by the independent U.S. National Research Council.

“Unlike West Nile virus, where nine out of 10 people are going to be totally asymptomatic, or may have a mild headache or a stiff neck, if you get Chikungunya you’re going to be sick,” he said.

“The disease can be fatal. It’s a serious disease [and] there is no vaccine.” Diaz added.

The virus can be carried by the Asian tiger mosquito, which is abundant in  Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Europe, the Americas.

Chikungunya has also been reported in the islands of Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion, in the Indian ocean, which are among prime beach resorts destinations visited by European tourists.

“It is hyper-endemic in the islands of the Indian Ocean,” Diaz told the meeting.

“Travel by air will import the infected mosquitoes and humans. Chikungunya is coming.” Diaz added.”

What’s Chikungunya

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes.  Chikungunya virus is a member of the genus Alphavirus, in the family Togaviridae. Chikungunya fever is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., joint swelling), laboratory testing, and the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment for chikungunya fever; care is based on symptoms. Chikungunya infection is not usually fatal. Steps to prevent infection with chikungunya virus include use of insect repellent, protective clothing, and staying in areas with screens. Chikungunya virus was first isolated from the blood of a febrile patient in Tanzania in 1953, and has since been cited as the cause of numerous human epidemics in many areas of Africa and Asia and most recently in limited areas of Europe.—CDC

Chikungunya Distribution and Global Map

The geographic range of chikungunya virus is mainly in Africa and Asia.  Given the current large chikungunya virus epidemics and the worldwide distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, there is a risk of importing chikungunya virus into new area through infected travelers. —CDC

Countries where people have become infected with chikungunya virus.
Benin	Mayotte
Burundi	Myanmar
Cambodia	Nigeria
Cameroon	Pakistan
Central African Republic	Philippines
Comoros	Reunion
Congo, DRC	Senegal
East Timor	Seychelles
Gabon	Singapore
Guinea	South Africa
India	Sri Lanka
Indonesia	Sudan
Italy	Taiwan
Kenya	Tanzania
Laos	Thailand
Madagascar	Uganda
Malawi	Vietnam
Malaysia	Zimbabwe
Mauritius
This list does not include countries where only imported cases have been reported.

Chikungunya Fact Sheet (CDC update: March 4, 2008)

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus was first isolated from the blood of a febrile patient in Tanzania in 1953, and has since been cited as the cause of numerous human epidemics in many areas of Africa and Asia, and most recently in a limited area of Europe.

What causes chikungunya fever?
Chikungunya fever is caused by a virus which belongs to the genus Alphavirus, in the family Togaviridae.

How do humans become infected with chikungunya virus?
Humans become infected with chikungunya virus by the bite of an infected mosquito. Aedes aegypti, a household container breeder and aggressive daytime biter which is attracted to humans, is the primary vector of chikungunya virus to humans. Aedes albopictus has also played a role in human transmission.

What can people do to prevent becoming infected with chikungunya virus?
The best way to prevent chikungunya virus infection is to avoid mosquito bites. There is no vaccine or preventive drug currently available. Prevention tips are similar to those for other viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue or West Nile:

• Use insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 on exposed skin. Always follow the directions on the package.
• Wear long sleeves and pants (ideally treat clothes with permethrin or another repellent).
• Have secure screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
• Get rid of mosquito sources in your yard by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
• Additionally, a person with chikungunya fever should limit their exposure to mosquito bites to avoid further spreading the infection. The person should use repellents when outdoors exposed to mosquito bites or stay indoors in areas with screens or under a mosquito net.

What is the basic chikungunya virus transmission cycle?
Mosquitoes become infected with chikungunya virus when they feed on an infected person. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other humans when they bite them. Monkeys, and possibly other wild animals, may also serve as reservoirs of the virus. Aedes aegypti, a household container breeder and aggressive daytime biter which is attracted to humans, is the primary vector of chikungunya virus to humans. Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito) has also played a role in human transmission is Asia, Africa, and Europe. Various forest-dwelling mosquito species in Africa have been found to be infected with the virus.

What type of illness does chikungunya virus cause?
Chikungunya virus infection can cause a debilitating illness, most often characterized by fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, rash, and joint pain. “Silent” chikungunya virus infections (infections without illness) do occur; but how commonly this happens is not yet known. Chikungunya virus infection (whether clinically apparent or silent) is thought to confer life-long immunity. Acute chikungunya fever typically lasts a few days to a couple of weeks, but as with dengue, West Nile fever, o’nyong-nyong fever and other arboviral fevers, some patients have prolonged fatigue lasting several weeks. Additionally, some patients have reported incapacitating joint pain, or arthritis which may last for weeks or months.

What is the incubation period for chikungunya fever?
The incubation period (time from infection to illness) can be 2-12 days, but is usually 3-7 days.

Can pregnant women become infected with chikungunya virus and pass the infection to their child?
Pregnant women can become infected with chikungunya virus during all stages of pregnancy and have symptoms similar to other individuals. Most infections will not result in the virus being transmitted to the fetus. The highest risk for infection of the fetus/child occurs when a woman has virus in her blood (viremic) at the time of delivery. There are also rare reports of first trimester abortions occurring after chikungunya infection. Pregnant women should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Products containing DEET can be used in pregnancy without adverse effects.

Can the virus be transmitted to a child by breastfeeding?
Currently, there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted through breast milk

What is the mortality rate of chikungunya fever?
Fatalities related to chikungunya virus are rare and appear to be associated to increased age.

How is chikungunya virus infection treated?
There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment currently available for chikungunya fever. Treatment is symptomatic and can include rest, fluids, and medicines to relieve symptoms of fever and aching such as ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, or paracetamol. Aspirin should be avoided. Infected persons should be protected from further mosquito exposure (staying indoors in areas with screens and/or under a mosquito net) during the first few days of the illness so they can not contribute to the transmission cycle.

Where does chikungunya virus occur?
The geographic range of the virus is primarily in Africa and Asia. For information on current outbreaks, consult CDC’s Travelers’ Health website (http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx). Given the current large chikungunya virus epidemics and the world wide distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, there is a risk of importation of chikungunya virus into new areas by infected travelers.

Content source:

Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases
National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases

Related Links:

• Arctic ice cover third-smallest area on record
• Malaria parasites resist old drugs, need new ones!
• A Living Hell Heated by Australian Coal

Airbus Says Change Speed Sensor Switch

The latest recommendation by Airbus is a positive step in airliner safety, but Airbus should go further and replace its ‘faulty’ on-board computers, too!

The following news item was published by BBC UK, which in view of its public safety features is reproduced in full.

For background information see: Airlines & Aviation Industry, Airline Safety, Air Travel …

.

Airbus urges speed sensor switch

The move will affect about 200 long haul Airbus jets

Page last updated at 22:25 GMT, Thursday, 30 July 2009 23:25 UK

Plane manufacturer Airbus has urged airlines to change the make of the majority of speed sensors on about 200 long haul aircraft.

Airbus has issued a bulletin to airlines recommending that they switch the parts, also known as pitots, to those made by US manufacturer Goodrich.

The moves comes as investigations continue into the cause of the fatal crash of an Air France Airbus in June.

Investigators have said speed sensors, or pitots, may have been a factor.

“Airbus has decided to recommend that A330/A340 operators with Thales pitot tubes, exchange at least two of them with Goodrich probes,” the company said in a statement sent to the BBC.

The company said it was making the recommendation “on the basis of the very limited available information” from the Air France accident, and “despite the fact that the pitot tubes meet the certification objectives”.

“This precautionary measure will allow our customers to benefit from the greater in-service experience of the Goodrich tubes on the A330/A340,” it said.

The move would affect about 200 of the A330 or A340 planes which were fitted with sensors manufactured by France’s Thales company, reported Reuters.

No deadline has been issued for the change to be implemented.

Earlier, the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) said it was to make the same recommendation.

All 228 people on board the Air France plane were killed when it plunged into the ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on 1 June.

French investigators have said faulty speed sensors were “a factor but not the cause” of the crash.

In the wake of the crash, Air France accelerated an existing programme to replace speed monitors on its Airbus planes.  BBC © MMIX

Related Links:

• Airlines & Aviation Industry, Airline Safety, Air Travel …

An Upside of the Economic Downturn

Airlines are flying less and polluting less, but that’s not enough!

Airlines carbon emissions may decrease by about 8 percent in 2009 because the airlines are slashing flights due to a drop in both cargo and passenger demand, Reuters reported.

“About 6 percent of the forecast carbon cut will come as a result of carriers flying fewer planes in 2009, and a further 1.8 percent reflects steps to improve energy efficiency [sic,]” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) was reported as saying.

IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani also reported that the airline industry will lose up to $5 billion in 2009 due to the economic slowdown.

Japan Airline (JAL), one of the world’s major airlines, has lost about 20 percent of its passengers and 40 percent of its freight business.

Horrendous Airline Stats

• How many are up there polluting our skies?

Related Links:

• Image of the Day: Flight Madness
• To & From New Zealand: Double Act of Eco-Terrorism
• Hundreds of millions worldwide face disaster
• Best News of the Day for the Environment!
• If You Are Flying to or Importing Food From New Zealand

Stop Polluting Our Air!

Image of the Day: Flight Madness

The Urge to Pollute the Air: An Acute Mental Illness?

Customers wait in line after a computer glitch crippled the baggage handling system at the American Airlines’ Terminal 8 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport July 30, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Lott. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair use Notice!

Flying-General (Emissions from a single passenger)

(Source) The average passenger miles per gallon for a domestic or international trip originating in the U.S. equals 33.4, according to “Transportation, Energy, and the Environment”, Section A – U.S. Energy Consumption and Transportation Sector Energy Consumption, Table 4-21. (Note that this is not much better than the average automobile, if driven with only one occupant.)

Burning a gallon of jet fuel releases 21.095 lbs of CO2. Combining these two factors:

(Source)

Based on the Climate Neutral Network’s analysis, an additional 8% has added to the total to account for the emissions associated with the upstream refining of jet fuel. The result is that 1.36 lbs. of CO2e are created for each passenger mile traveled (0.63 x 2 plus 8%). It is important to note that many carbon calculators on the Internet, do not account for these additional emissions and hence, significantly underestimate total Greenhouse Gas emissions. (Source)

[Note: The ‘upstream’ CO2 footprint could be as much as 31.35% which includes extraction of crude oil, transport to refinery, refining to jet fuel, transport to airports, storage, etc. making a grand total of about 1.66 lbs. (751g) of CO2e for each passenger mile traveled.]

Related Links:

• Photos Album
• How Your Pollution is Calculated

.

350 or 450ppm? Neither, Actually!

Submitted by Dione, CASF Member

What would the future be like for my daughter?

Don’t know much about history
Don’t know much biology
Don’t know much about science books
Don’t know much about the French I took
But I do know that I love her
…
What a wonderful world this would be

Don’t know much about geography
Don’t know much trigonometry
Don’t know much about algebra
Don’t know what a slide rule is for
But I know that one and one is two

What a wonderful world this would be

[From a Herman’s Hermits song, Wonderful World, lyrics by Cooke/Alpert/Adler. Lyrics may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!]

Creating A Sustainable Future (CASF) received an emotional email from a young mother, “Kay,” who wishes to remain anonymous. Kay has a 6-year-old daughter and lives with her family in NW United States. Kay says she is not high on science, “in all probability the Herman’s Hermits famous song, ‘don’t know much about history, biology, science books, geography, trigonometry, algebra, and slide rule’ was written about me!”

She says her knowledge of climatology is even poorer than her French(!) “But I do know that I love my daughter and husband and ‘what a wonderful world this would be’ if we could rein in the greenhouse gases, and reverse the global warming.”

“I have read a number of articles about CO2 pollution in the atmosphere including a few written by the famed NASA scientist, Dr J. Hansen … but he is a government scientist …”

She wants to know the safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere and asks which of the 350, 450, or higher levels of CO2 pollution would be a “safe” level, and whether our reply could be put simply so that a “layperson” could understand the answer.

Hi, Kay – thanks for visiting our blog and email!

The CASF members believe even the lower atmospheric CO2 levels of 350ppm CO2 are unsafe! Here are the reasons why. Our findings put as simply as we could:

1. Our climate models show that when the atmospheric CO2 levels leaped over the 330ppmv “threshold” in the mid 1970s it triggered a positive feedback loop, which is now impacting the climate. [The atmospheric CO2 inventory has risen by about 17 percent since then.]
2. The “acid test,” if you’ll excuse the pun, of the accuracy of our models lies in the future, namely how much worse the environmental impacts will be in the 2008-2010 period. If the impacts of CO2 pollution worsened significantly, by a factor of 20% or more, by 2010 (we have a system for quantifying the adverse effects, see Index of Human Impact on Nature for an introduction), as we expect them to do so, then we know our models are accurate.
3. The catch? By 2010 it would be too late to do anything to slow down the runaway positive feedback system [other than say a prayer for the dead!]
4. While the preindustrial levels of 260-270ppm were [and they probably still would be ] “safe,” the longer term environmental impacts of CO2 at levels of about 290-300ppm, even if those levels were achievable [assume some miraculous means were introduced to wipe the slate clean,] in the current climatic state are uncertain!
5. Based on the above, we recommend an immediate shift to zero-emissions, the benefits of which, although by no means immediate, would far outweigh the ultimate cost of playing Russian roulette with climate change.

We hope the above helps. Feel free to visit us anytime!

Best wishes
Dione, FEWW Moderators and rest of CASF Team

Related Links:

• Greenland Ice Melt Faster Than IPCC Estimates
• Only Zero Emissions Would Avert Dangerous Warming
• Stern Report: “a great toxic dump of doublespeak in truly Orwellian fashion”
• UN Hypocrisy: Kick the CO2 Habit!
• The myth of keeping CO2 under 450ppm

• World CO2 Emissions
• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar

dione

UN Hypocrisy: Kick the CO2 Habit!

“Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us … ” Ban Ki-Moon

How many billions of air miles do you and your staff at the UN [and all UN-affiliated organizations] fly each year? Pray tell us!

“Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions,” he said in the speech to reinforce this year’s World Environment Day theme of “CO2 Kick the Habit”.

Let’s start with the UN personnel

Unable to fight his addiction to CO2, [do as I say, not as I do] UN Chief Ban Ki-moon and his vast entourage flew to Rome [instead of establishing a video link from UN HQ in New York] to attend U.N. crisis summit on rising food prices at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) June 4, 2008. REUTERS/Nikola Solic. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

“Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit,” Ban said in a statement to mark World Environment Day, which is being marked by events around the globe and hosted by the New Zealand city of Wellington.

“Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is a message we all must take to heart,” he said.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, a “Destination Country” for White Slavery:

“We take pride in our clean [sic], green [sic] identity as a nation and we are determined to take action to protect it. We appreciate that protecting the climate means behavior change by each and every one of us,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen [Caligula] Clark. (Source)

Helen Clark, tell us why New Zealand gov. is spending tens of millions of dollars every year luring more than 2.5 million foreign tourists half way across the globe to destroy your “clean [sic], green [sic] identity [sic]?”

A visitor from Europe on a return flight to New Zealand produces 17.7 metric tons of CO2.

Are YOU addicted to UN HYPOCRICY?

Now goto:

UNEP Issues Some CO2 Reduction Snakeoil!

Related Links:

• Truth About ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ Advertising Campaign
• Stop New Zealand Committing Eco-Terrorism!
• Food Imports from New Zealand – Health Bulletin # 10. Outbreak of mystery bacterium, June 4, 2008

• UNEP Issues Some CO2 Reduction Snakeoil!

.