Tiempo Climate Newswatch

The latest global data show that the growth in atmospheric carbon levels continues to accelerate. "This new update of the carbon budget shows the acceleration of both carbon dioxide emissions and atmospheric accumulation are unprecedented and most astonishing during a decade of intense international developments to address climate change," commented Pep Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project.

Emissions growth over the period 2000-2007 was four times faster than in the previous decade, and was greater than even the most fossil fuel-intensive projection by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel and land use change reached 10 billion tons in 2007. Natural carbon sinks are growing but slower than the growth in atmospheric carbon concentrations.

"Blaming cities for greenhouse gas emissions misses the point that cities are a large part of the solution," argues David Satterthwaite of the International Institute for Environment and Development in London. "Well-planned, well-governed cities can provide high living standards that do not require high consumption levels and high greenhouse gas emissions."

Satterthwaite reckons previous studies have over-estimated urban emissions. He recommends that emissions be allocated to consumers rather than producers. "The problem is not cities but a minority of the world’s population with high-consumption lifestyles. A large proportion of these consumers live not in cities but in small towns and rural areas," he concludes.

South Africans consider climate change a serious threat but are more concerned about other problems, according to a recent survey. "When we asked people what the most important challenges facing South Africa were, the list started with unemployment, HIV/AIDS, economic issues and poverty. The environment was number 10. If you're not sure where your next meal is coming from, it's more pressing than something that will affect future generations," said John Seager of the Human Sciences Research Council.

Grace Bent, Nigerian senator, has called for urgent assessment of the impact of development projects, which, she fears, may be making her nation more vulnerable to climate change. Speaking at a conference in the United Kingdom earlier this year, she said that "environmental impact assessment must be conducted on some of these things they call environmental developmental projects in Lagos." "That is why at the senate level, we are putting every machinery in place and that is why senate committee is working on the Climate Commission Bill," she continued.