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Dust storm blankets Beijing 30 March 04

According to Reuters news agency (read report here), one of the worst duststorms in years has hit Beijing. This is an increasingly regular phenomenon that I investigated in my book High Tide, visiting many of the worst-affected areas myself. The duststorms are linked with increasing desertification in northern Chinese provinces like Inner Mongolia, which is in turn linked with the rising temperatures and worsening droughts associated with global warming. The picture on the right shows how the low the visibility fell during a storm I was caught in during my visit to Inner Mongolia to research High Tide.

Comments

John Hoggett
December 16th, 2005 at 10:32 AM

Berfore Montreal I saw a very good case for boycotting America. There is rising international concern about climate change and marches in so many countries could mean the formation on an international movement through which the idea could be disseminated. The USA produces 25% of global emmisions and has 4% of the worlds population. Climate change has the potential to kill on genocidal scales (whether it is potential genocide or manslaughter on genocidal scales is a point that interests me, just where do the lines of responsability lie? Something for lawyers to debate here perhaps?). But the USA agreening to talks, but without binding agreements, muddies the water.

To make a call for a boycott seveal things would need to be done:

  • environmental and social justice groups in the USA would need to be consulted
  • clarify what are we demanding. That the USA joins in with Kyoto? OK, but a bit of piddling target really. That the USA reduces it’s emmisions by 60% by a certain date? That the US commits to do so?
  • raise money for propaganda and publicity

However, the idea seems very sound.

Etienne Nel
December 22nd, 2005 at 07:27 PM

I agree that the USA is the big bad gorilla raining on everyone’s parade, the sad reality is that the 800 pound gorilla sits wherever it wants to. The current US administration is funded by big oil and money makes the world go round , for now ! Until that changes, time and energy needs to expended on more fertile grounds.

What concerns me tremdously though is this point Mark has raised in his article about two degrees. I have been trying to establish how fast things will happen once 2deg has been breached but can’t find any insightful answers. Anybody notice what a pile of ice does when left in a basin?

I believe that not only don’t we understand how fast things might happen, but excatly what will happen is another debate all together. Like new thinking showing that ocean currents change along with air and water temperature. All of these impacting dramtically on Antartic Ice shelves.

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