Tiempo Climate Newswatch

"Climate change is a major threat to India and may lead to potentially dangerous problems," claimed David King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the British government, as the 2005 Delhi Sustainable Development Summit opened. "The rise in sea levels due to global warming may endanger the coastline and dramatically alter the monsoon, which is crucial for the country's economy," he continued. The concluding session of the summit considered a new paradigm that needs to emerge whereby quality of life and people's aspirations, not just economic growth and material wealth, will be the prime concerns for all.

At the same time as the conference, the United Kingdom and India announced plans for collaboration on a series of sustainable development projects, including climate research. The United Kingdom will invite India, China and other rapidly industrializing countries to the G8 summit later this year, where climate change will be high on the agenda. The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit was organized by The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, India, and took place 3rd-5th February.

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From the conference

• Hindustan Times
• SciDev.Net

• Video, text reports and other material

The European Union (EU) has announced that it will concentrate on bringing other major greenhouse gas emitters into a post-2012 agreement, rather than setting itself targets for that period now. In fact, "the reduction commitments that the EU would be willing to take under such a regime should depend on the level and type of participation of other major emitters," according to a Commission paper. Major emitters includes not only the United States but also leading industrializing nations such as India and China. "What the European Commission is saying is they will wait and see what other nations are doing. That is the biggest threat to the EU position so far," responded Mahi Sideridou of Greenpeace.

General details of the EU's developing climate strategy were also announced, including promoting energy efficiency and reducing aviation and maritime pollution. New incentives, such as tax breaks for the development and implementation of new technology, are being considered. The EU estimates that the costs associated with emissions reductions are manageable, providing all nations act together, with a 1.5 per cent a year emissions reduction post-2012 taking 0.5 to 1.5 per cent off economic growth by 2025.

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• Reuters
• ENN

• EUROPA, EU climate strategy

Global warming may be good news for companies investing in new trade routes around the Arctic. "There is great potential for increasing trade between North America and the Russian sphere," said Mike Ogborn, President of the Churchill Gateway Development Corporation. Ogborn is managing plans to expand the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba, on the Hudson Bay and develop an "arctic bridge" between North America and Russia.

Predictions suggest that by 2050, climate change may result in the year-long opening of waterways currently blocked by ice. This could reduce the passage from Churchill to northern Europe and Russia by more then 2,000km. Omnitrax, a transportation services company based in Denver, Colorado, in the United States, has dredged the harbour at Churchill and improved the local rail track, anticipating heavier traffic.

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• Terra Daily
• Economist

• Download Arctic impacts report