Two events happened in the last few days in Africa, one promising and one bad, which will have further knock-on effects in Africa and abroad. The good (with reservations) was the referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the situation in Darfur, Sudan, for prosecution of individuals implicated in crimes against humanity. The bad was Mugabe’s successful stealing of yet another election in Zimbabwe. Oh, and apologies for yet another long post!
Continue reading “Good news and bad, in Africa”
Category: Noteworthy news
Comments on current events around the world
Global warming and ocean temperature
In the aftermath of the Kyoto Protocols coming into effect, an article on a new study: IOL: Science & Tech. This huge new study has found that ocean temperature is extremely well correlated with increasing greenhouse content. Of course, the energy capacity of the oceans far exceeds that of the atmosphere, so this is serious indeed.
Kyoto Treaty takes force
Yesterday, Wednesday 16 February, marked the entry into force of the Kyoto Treaty, designed to control and reduce the global emission of greenhouse gasses.
Of course, the most noteworthy part of the whole thing is that the US, producer of about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gasses, is not a signatory. Nevertheless, it’s great to see the EU, most notably, committed to controlling emissions.
There’s lots that could be said, and perhaps I will if people are interested. But for now, I’ll comment on the three most commonly used criticisms of the treaty: developing country exceptions; effects on economic growth; and effectiveness in reducing emissions.
Continue reading “Kyoto Treaty takes force”
Paul Cook 