Climate Agreement in Doubt

Our Planet's natural ability to absorb greenhouse gasses is declining, putting us on a path to a catastrophic 6 degree temperature rise by the end of the century. This is the projection of a major new study, said to be the most comprehensive ever carried out. The hope was that these new findings would give greater urgency to the negotiations at Copenhagen.

The study, led by Corinne Le Quere and colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey, found that a recorded 29 per cent carbon increase carbon over the last decade has been partly the result of a drop in the amount of greenhouse gasses absorbed by the Planet's natural sinks.

The team has concluded that carbon sinks, such as forests, oceans, and soil, are now absorbing 55 per cent of carbon, compared with 60 per cent 50 years ago. This is indeed a worrying trend that could carry us past tipping level sooner that was previously estimated by the World's scientific community.

In view of this new information, the importance of a binding agreement at Copenhagen cannot be overstressed, but leaders such as Obama are now saying that the talks are not going to produce a legally binding treaty. We must all make our voice heard, and in every way we can, tell them that this is just not good enough!