Article

Global warming threat 'bigger than any terrorist action': British expert warns of heat waves, floods if action not taken

Publication Date: November 20, 2003
Author: Kate Jaimet
Source: Ottawa Citizen

Global warming is a greater threat than terrorism, the chief scientific adviser to the British government said yesterday.

"I know we have a lot of important issues, not least the acts of terrorism facing us around the world, but I do think that this is a more important issue," Sir David King told an audience of scientists at the National Research Council in Ottawa.

He pointed to the almost 30,000 people who died in heat waves that broiled Europe this summer, and warned that more such natural disasters will occur as global warming progresses.

"We have an effect that is bigger in its manifestation than any terrorist action that has taken place."

The global climate today is warmer than at any time in known history, Sir David said. Scientists of the International Panel on Climate Change believe Earth will continue to heat up, warming as much as six degrees over the next century.

The cause of the rapid warming lies in the Industrial Revolution, when humans began burning massive amounts of coal, oil and gas to power factories, electrical generation plants and vehicles. By burning those fossil fuels, humans today are pumping six million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every second, Sir David said.

The carbon dioxide traps the sun's heat like a greenhouse and causes the Earth to warm up.

Besides heat waves, the Earth's rapid warming will cause ocean levels to rise, as ice caps melt and the warmer sea water expands. If no steps are taken against global warming, floods will displace hundreds of millions of people, Sir David said.

"It means a massive economic and political destabilization."

Although the worst effects are likely to be felt in Asia and India, if a single flood hit London, which lies on the Thames River, it would cause $66 billion worth of damage, Sir David said.

In Canada, powerful business groups, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, lobbied against the Kyoto protocol before Prime Minister Jean Chretien ratified it last December. They argued that its target of reducing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels would cripple Canada's economy.

However, Sir David said the costs of ignoring global warming, in terms of natural disasters, will be far greater than the cost of curbing greenhouse gases.

"I don't think there's any country in the world that can stand by and say: 'Our economy can't stand this'."

According to the 2003 budget, Canada will have spent $3.7 billion on climate change initiatives between 1997 and 2008.

Sir David said Canada's efforts at curbing greenhouse gases are not enough to put a significant dent in global warming. "But it's a good start."

He urged Canada and others to adopt Britain's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 60 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050. Only then will the most disastrous effects of global warming be averted, he said.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2003