• Bala Kumar oxide produced in large quantities by the combina Global tempera- tion of fossil fuels like oil ana coal, and nitous ox a consequence of cli ide and methane, a by-product of rice cultivation, mate change, says a report presented to the are also culprits.
Under the 1992 Climate inter-governmental CIt Change Convention, inmate Change confer- dustrialised countries aim once In Berlin. to maintain carbon emisEach decade sees an av- sions at 1990 levels by erage increase of 0.3 de- the year 2000. While grees celsius, melting some countries will meet polar ice-caps and caus- the goal - which is not a ing a rise in sea-levels legal obligation - others, which would inundate 36 like Canada, probably small island states mak- won't. Even if all the major ing them disappear. carbon emitters meet the So far global warming target, it will be too little, has been blamed for too late for many. everything from droughts At the Berlin conference in California to floods in small island states were Bangladesh and forest pressing industrialised fires in Russia. Heat from countries to reduce their the sun's rays is trapped 1990 level of emissions on earth by the depletion by a minimum of 20% by of the ozone layer in the 2005. They were to be disatmosphere which is re- appointed. There wasn't sponsible for channelling even an undertaking it back into space. This is about levels of carbon called the greenhouse ef. emission beyond the year fect. Ozone is being eaten 2000. This has been deaway by chemicals called ferred to the next Climate. chlorofluorocarbons conference in Tokyo in (CFCs) which are found in 1997. Instead western aerosol cans and refrig- countries led by Australia, erators. Canada and the USA Presently states are stonewalled on dealing committed to eliminating with the fundamental CFC use by 1996 but it's causes of climate change, not the only agent of backed by oil producing global warming. Carbon di- countries such as Saudi to soll to Publishing Association will do).
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Address Post code Telephone Age Send this coupon back to Uberation, PO Box 11109, London N4 24U.. Arabia and Kuwait. Germany and the Scandinaviare far more sympathetic to the Maldives and Marshall Islands than to India and Chin who are intent on following the western growth model.
25% of the world's people living in the rich coun system and the relationtries are responsible for ships of power and wealth 75% of global carbon that flow from it. Reducing emissions. The advanced carson emissions means capitalist world won't act reducing energy use in the to halt global warming be- West and switching from cause to do so would fossil fuels to renewable pose the need for energy like sun, wind and changes in the economic water. Oil producing countries fear loss of revenue. Transnational companies foresee the end of their huge profits and monopoly markets. Natural ways of absorbing carbon dioxide like halting deforestation are opposed by companies currently exploiting tropical rainforests at unsustainable Tates.
On the other hand, countries like Germany and Japan see the market potential in renewable technologies and favour subsidising research in this area and encouraging demand.
Meanwhile, China could soon be a leading source of CFC emissions because of its reliance on the chemical in consumer goods. It claims environmental standards forced on it which never applied to Western countes when they industrialised are a crude form of protectionism.
Western countries barred from using CFCs are now using hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HFCs) which are just as harmful. Greenpeace has devel oped a refrigerator which doesn't use CFCs but has received no support for its mass production.
Decisive action won't come from capitalist governments or big business, nor within the logic of the market economy. It needs a complete break with unfair, unsustainable patterns of producTion no consumoron.
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