Greenhouse Gas Spews Despite Downturn

"In terms of the global carbon budget we have for this century, it might buy us a year or two," — Keith Allott, World Wildlife Fund climate change policy director.

Any hopes that the recent global economic downturn could temporarily delay climate change were dashed by a U.S. report that says the rate at which carbon dioxide is entering the atmosphere actually accelerated slightly during 2008.

Some analysts had predicted the recession would bring about a 2 percent reduction in developed nations’ greenhouse gas emissions.

“For us to see (the impact) in the atmosphere it would take a large drop in emissions, but it hasn't happened yet and that’s very clear from this data,” said Thomas Conway, a NOAA climate scientist who helped prepare the report.

He told Reuters that variations in natural processes, such as those in the forests and oceans that mop up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, can mask small changes in manmade emissions in the short term.

Keith Allott, head of climate change policy with World Wildlife Fund, said that any drop in emissions that might occur due to the recession could buy us “only a year or two” in the progression of global warming.

He cautioned that governments should not lose focus on developing clean energy despite the tough times.

Photo: Stephen Strathdee - iStockphoto