Professor warns of four degree temperature rise

Transcript

A New Zealand Professor of sustainable energy says a recent climate change report indicates future global warming will be closer to four degrees than the two degree target.

Massey University's Ralph Sims says the latest climate report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change summarises the three areas of physical science data, adaptation and mitigation.

He told Jenny Meyer the report concludes a four degree centigrade future is likely if governments don't act now.

Ralph Sims says everyone can take action to reduce their carbon footprint by taking small steps not to waste energy.

RALPH SIMS: And effectively what it's saying is 'yes, we do have a problem', it seems to be even greater than what we thought it was, and trying to meet a two degree future warming maximum is going to be a real challenge and unlikely, and at the moment we're heading towards what we call a four degree centigrade future. And that of course for Pacific Islands means more sea level rise and more extreme weather events, and more disruption to transport, whether it's boats or planes, from these extreme weather events. So there is great concern that we're not going to be able to slow it down in time.

JENNY MEYER: Do you think that this actually shortens the potential life span of some of these islands states that are threatened for their very survival by sea level rise? For example with storm surges that kind of thing, these extreme weather events that we seem to be seeing more frequently?

RS: The results from this report are really no different to what the physical science report was saying and then the adaptation that sea level rise has started and that it will increase, but this report is not saying it will increase any further, it's just really saying that what we projected before is now convincing, that it's man made and that we're not doing enough about it politically. That every country needs to be involved in mitigation in slowing things down and at the moment we haven't got government buy in to that. Having said that the Pacific Island communities have got a strong voice at the international negotiations and agreements. I was in a Global Environment Facility Council meeting just last week and Fiji took the Chair, the Co-Chair and and made some very strong pleas about climate change and the Small Island Developing States meeting in Samoa a few months ago certainly had a global impact. So I think Pacific Islands are doing a very good job in putting pressure on the larger economies to try and reduce emissions and let it be known that they are threatened as much anywhere else in the world.

JM: So in terms of governments picking up this information and acting on it, we know for example say Tokelau has almost gone a hundred per cent renewable into solar power and that kind of thing; are these small nations doing more do you think despite not necessarily being guilty for the bulk of the global warming effects?

RS: Yeah, I think leading by example is the point here. If we can mitigate, if we can get off fossil fuels, if we can reduce our diesel generation and substitute renewable energy, then obviously everybody else should be able to do it too.

Ralph Sims says everyone can take action to reduce their carbon footprint by taking small steps not to waste energy.