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UN's Take On Climate Change Grows Sunnier

Some measures may enhance global GDP

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted May 4, 2007 10:05 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Policy and behavior changes can help limit greenhouse-gas emissions and slow climate change, say experts at a UN conference in Bangkok—and at a reasonable price. Some curbs on emissions may even enhance global GDP, but time is short. Within 10 to 20 years, global emissions should begin dropping to avoid serious impact on the climate.

Promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency will help the effort, as will less deforestation. But if consumption patterns remain unchanged, sustained use of fossil fuels will cause greenhouse-gas emissions to soar. "If we continue to do what we are doing now, we are in deep trouble," says Ogunlade Davidson, a senior author of the report.

A disabled Cambodian man walks with his family near his home in a de-forested area along the Thai-Cambodia border Thursday, March 3, 2005, near Pailin, Cambodia. Delegates to a climate change conference rushed Thursday, May 3, 2007 to finish a report mapping out measures to combat global warming, confident they...
A disabled Cambodian man walks with his family near his home in a de-forested area along the Thai-Cambodia border Thursday, March 3, 2005, near Pailin, Cambodia. Delegates to a climate change conference...   (Associated Press)
A wind turbine looms behind a farm east of Pipestone, Minn., in this May 24, 2006, file photo. New worries about the environment, technology advances and tax breaks extensions are empowering European wind energy companies to try their luck in the United States. The U.S. has led the world...
A wind turbine looms behind a farm east of Pipestone, Minn., in this May 24, 2006, file photo. New worries about the environment, technology advances and tax breaks extensions are empowering European...   (Associated Press)
Thai activists hold giant poster in front of United Nations office in Bangkok Monday April 30, 2007. They demand world's government take immediate action to revolutionize energy production in response to repeated warning about catastrophic climate change from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change .(AP photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Thai activists hold giant poster in front of United Nations office in Bangkok Monday April 30, 2007. They demand world's government take immediate action to revolutionize energy production in response...   (Associated Press)
Greenpeace activists dressed up as penguins stand with placards at the India Gate lawns in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 3, 2007. Greenpeace was demanding a ban on energy inefficient bulbs to stop global warming. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)
Greenpeace activists dressed up as penguins stand with placards at the India Gate lawns in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 3, 2007. Greenpeace was demanding a ban on energy inefficient bulbs to stop global...   (Associated Press)
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climate change • energy • United Nations • sustainable living • greenhouse gases • fossil fuel • consumption • deforestation • carbon emissions

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