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UN draft report on climate
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Mon, 23 Apr 2007, 13:06:00

A RECENT UN draft report, said, surging use of cars and planes will push up greenhouse gas emissions in coming decades, making the transport sector a 'black spot' in a fight against global warming. 'Transport activity is expected to grow robustly over the next several decades', said the 101-page technical summary of a draft report by the UN climate panel, the most authoritative on threats from global warming', the report said, according to Reuters news agency from Oslo, Norway. The summary would be issued at a meeting of scientists and experts from 100 governments in Bangkok on May 4. Efforts would be made at the ensuing meeting to curb emissions from transports that 'are faced with many barriers' despite options such as new engine technologies or bio fuels.

According to the draft report, transport, mostly trucks and cars, accounted for 26 per cent of total world energy use in 2004 and, barring a major shift, projection foresees a continued growth in world transportation energy use by 2 per cent a year, with energy use and carbon emission about 80 per cent above 2002 levels by 2030.' In some countries such as the United States, Italy and Australia car ownership is already 5 to 8 per 10 inhabitants - 10 or 100 times more than in developing states. The UN-study projects bio fuels could rise to 3 percent of total transport fuel by 2030, or to 10 percent if a penalty for emitting heat-trapping carbon dioxide were $25 a ton. It is worth mentioning the measures such as tighter vehicle efficiency standards; lighter materials and better aerodynamics could double the fuel economy of new vehicles by 2030, roughly halving their emissions. It foresees more use of hybrid cars but says, for instance, the outlook for hydrogen-powered vehicles is uncertain.

The IPCC drafted the section on transport part that says fighting global warming can be inexpensive but that governments are 'running short of time' to avert big temperature rises threatening more droughts, heat waves, floods and rising seas. What is found is that about 2 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions from human activities come from aviation. Emissions from this sector are likely to rise by 3-4 percent a year given projected annual traffic growth of 5 percent outpacing annual improvements in aircraft fuel efficiency of 1-2 percent. Planes also damage the climate in other ways, partly by emitting heat trapping nitrous oxides at high altitude. 'These effects are estimated to be about 2 to 4 times greater than those of aviation's CO2 alone'. Extra charges for the fuel or the inclusion of the aviation sector into a greenhouse gas trading system would have the potential to reduce emissions considerably. The disastrous consequences of the global climate changes rather have compelled the governments across the world to be more cautious. The United Nations Security Council has taken up first-ever debate on the global warming for a possible way out.


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