Tiempo Climate Newswatch

National positions on any post-Kyoto climate agreement are emerging as the First Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol approaches. Australia has ruled out post-Kyoto limits, with environment minister Ian Campbell describing any attempt to negotiate new emissions levels as a "terrible waste of time." Japan, while struggling to meet its own emissions reduction targets, has stressed the importance of including all nations in a post-2012 agreement. "Climate change is not something that can be tackled only by Japan or only by Europe," said environment minister Yuriko Koike. "It's essential for the whole world to cut emissions." Japan is particularly concerned that its neighbour China act to limit growth in all forms of atmospheric pollution. Both Japan and China are members of the new Asia Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate, intended to complement the Kyoto Protocol.

In Europe, the business think-tank, the International Council for Capital Formation (ICCF), has warned that compliance with the Kyoto Protocol could cost hundreds of thousands of jobs by the year 2010. The ICCF estimates that compliance could result in average increases of 26 per cent in electricity prices and 41 per cent in gas prices by that year. "The findings of our research suggest that an alternative approach [to climate change] is urgently needed for both the developing and developed world," reported Margo Thorning, ICCF managing director. British Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared to downplay chances of a targets-based, agreement post 2012, when speaking at a G8 meeting of energy and environment ministers recently.

More information

• Reuters
• Reuters
• Reuters
• Reuters

• Reuters
• ICCF reports

Two hundred million people in Africa are now considered under-nourished, according to research conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The figure has risen by 20 per cent over the past 10 years. The IFPRI authors state that "up to 40 million Africans annually face acute hunger that requires concerted international efforts to prevent widespread starvation. Another 160 million also suffer from hunger and malnutrition, but in a less dramatic manner. For many of them such under-nourishment is a permanent characteristic of their lives."

Currently, more than a third of African children suffer stunted growth, with the highest prevalence occurring in countries in East and Central Africa, affected by civil conflict, flood, drought and economic downturns. Lack of vitamin A, iron, zinc and iodine are the main micronutrient deficiencies. Between 15,000 and 20,000 African woman die each year as a result of severe iron-deficiency anaemia. IFPRI considers that the percentage of malnourished children under five years old in East Africa could be cut by half by 2015.

More information

• All Africa
• Food Security Outlook in Africa to 2025, IFPRI
• Africa's Food and Nutrition Security Situation: Where Are We and How Did We Get Here?, IFPRI

• Current situation, Relief Web
• Latest climate news, All Africa

Liquid carbon dioxide would have to be injected at least 800m deep in the ocean, and possibly as much as 3000m deep, to prevent it escaping. The conclusion results from an ocean model experiment undertaken by Youxue Zhang at the University of Michigan. There is concern that the carbon dioxide droplets, if injected closer to the surface, may vent to the atmosphere having risen to the level (the liquid-gas transition depth, about 300m deep) where it becomes a gas. If this occurs suddenly, the gas can erupt, with potentially catastrophic consequences.

"Droplets injected to a depth of 800 metres will rise, but if they are small enough they should dissolve completely before reaching the liquid-gas transition depth - assuming everything works perfectly," said Zhang. "An even safer injection scheme would be to inject into a depth of more than 3000 metres, where carbon dioxide liquid is denser than seawater and would sink and dissolve." Zhang notes that there are also potential environmental consequences to be considered before deciding whether or not ocean injection is a viable means of disposing of carbon from power plants.

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Background

• Science Daily

• Chapter 6: Ocean storage, IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage
• On the Web: Carbon dioxide capture and storage