Several disturbing items in the news on Wednesday.
1. A Singapore Airlines flight with 23 Kiwi passengers hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean, resulting in one dead British passenger and 71 others injured. Research suggests severe turbulence in jet streams could double or even triple in coming decades if the climate continues to change as expected.
2. Gisborne drenched, more rain on the way and “the heaviness of it is of some concern,” says our provincial Federated Farmers president.
3. A report informed us that Tiniroto Rd is to be reopened on a temporary basis at the Hangaroa Bluffs.
4. In his letter to the editor, Bruce Holm reminded us of the “need to reduce farm emissions”.
These are all serious climate change matters. Because we rely on fossil fuels, New Zealand is far more isolated than land-linked countries.
Greenhouse gases are destroying our chance of a sustainable future – it is essential that we reduce all our emissions and move to a fossil-free world.
However, when zero carbon hits home in 2050, I doubt the highly promised alternatives will be there in sufficient quantities to make up for the shortfall.
The daily atmospheric CO2 reading available from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii on May 21 is 428ppm.
This is a reminder that our world is pushing the planet’s thermostat beyond safe levels of 350ppm CO2 in the atmosphere, and that more people are needed to combine our ingenuity and resources to keep the present overshoot brief.
When the trend for atmospheric CO2 levels falls, we can expect global average temperature to follow.
For those who care about the sustainability of the planet and who want it to remain a place where people can flourish, measured CO2 levels in the atmosphere serve as the single best, real-time signal of whether the world as a whole is on track to a safe future – or needs to do more to get on track.
I agree with Bruce Holm’s “need to reduce farm emissions”, but it is equally important for the rest of us to reduce our CO2 emissions as well. All of us are making climate change worse.
Bob Hughes
