CCBF Blog

Carbon Counter in New York

via J Robert Gibson

Counting long-lived GHG stocks in the atmosphere in real time
DB Climate Change Advisors (DBCCA)  launched on 18th June 2009 the “Carbon Counter” (CC) in New York City. The CC shows that as of today the estimated gross stock of long-lived greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere stands at 3.64 trillion tonnes of CO₂e, or 467 parts per million (ppm). It uses data collected by both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (which is sponsored by NASA). Gases covered are: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and halocarbons (a group of gases containing fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine).

The Carbon Counter does not measure ozone, water vapour, or aerosols
Water vapour is the most abundant and important GHG in the atmosphere, but human activity has only a small direct effect on it. With regard to the other GHGs that have an impact on the climate, ozone and aerosols, AR4 states that the overall net direct and indirect impact of anthropogenic emissions on and of these gases has been one of negative radiative forcing and hence of cooling. As a result, whilst according to DBCCA the gross concentration of long-lived GHGs in the atmosphere in 2005 was about 455ppm of CO₂e, AR4 states that the net concentration after adjusting for the effect of all anthropogenic forcing agents was 375ppm of CO₂e (the net concentration is the one frequently quoted). The Carbon Counter will monitor only the long-lived GHGs because in the case of aerosols and tropospheric ozone there is no regular monitoring system’ that would allow them to capture the data.

For more information see http://www.Know-the-Number.com

Business Leaders "Copenhagen Call"

via: Ms. Shirlee Algire

"187 days, 16 hours, 6 minutes, and 47 seconds – that’s the time remaining until the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen this December, according to the “countdown” clock on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change website. When that clock reaches zero, world leaders will negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol – hopefully before the climate’s “clock” reaches zero and the world spirals into climate catastrophe.

The global business community isn’t waiting -- this past week, 700 global business executives attended the World Business Summit on Climate Change. They issued the “Copenhagen Call,” a six-point statement listing the steps required to pass an effective global climate treaty. Two of the steps focus on supporting low emissions technologies, for example by creating “incentives for a dramatic increase in financing” them."

Read more at the source: CSRwire
Contributing Writers Bill Baue and Francesca Rheannon of Sea Change Media