In order to meet the U.N.’s target when it comes to mitigating climate change, Shell boss Ben van Beurden say’s we would need to plant a forest the size of Brazil.
“You can get to 1.5C, but not by just by pulling the same levers a little bit harder, because they are being pulled roughly as fast and and as hard as we are currently imagining. What we think can be done is massive reforestation. Think of another Brazil in terms of rainforest: you can get to 1.5C,” he told an oil and gas industry audience in London.
Check It Out: We Need to Plant a Forest the Size of Brazil
As someone who has planted more than 60 trees in his own yard, I obviously don’t have a problem with that. But before we start a major initiative to plant trees, it would be a good idea to stop cutting down the ones we already have.
The biggest single thing that anybody reading this can do is to see if you use any products with palm oil in them and, if so, see where it comes from. Far too much palm oil is produced in plots of land that used to be rainforest.
geoduck – it is hard to be optimistic, I agree. I’d feel better about our chances if Delusional Donald’s approval rating was < 1%. As long as one third of America thinks he's doing a good job, then we've got a problem.
But we've got to try … I mean, did you know that one of the arguments the Trump Administration is making for reducing the CAFE standards is that there is no hope of reining in climate change so why bother trying? Really. I wish I could say I was kidding but I'm not.
Old UNIX Guy
Ive been following the subject since I was studying Geology in college. To be honest I’m not optomistic in any way.
1.5 defrees was never realistic. That ship has sailed.
2 is no longer attainable. Even if we stopped emitting CO2 and other gasses today the system inertia would carry temps over 2.
The question os how far over 2 will it go? Well ive seen promises made, and ignored. Carbon capture plans made and abandoned because of the cost. Just as well because they would have producrd a net carbon emission. There has been some movement toward wind, solar, and other renewables, but nowhere near as much as could have been done. Subsidies for oil and coal and natural gas continue unabated.
So what do I think will be the result? Its hard to say. At least 4 degrees, but then feedbacks start kicking in. 6 is not outof the question.
Yeah, but not all in the same place. A few acres here, a few over there, it adds up.