Canadia scientists make climate plea to Harper

Canwest News Service (Canada): More than 100 leading climate scientists have launched a new offensive challenging the federal government's climate change plan and urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper along with other Canadian politicians to accelerate efforts to crack down on human activity linked to global warming.

In an open letter sent to the prime minister, opposition leaders and Canadian premiers on Tuesday afternoon, the scientists warned that the existing national climate change policies would fail to address the dangerous impacts of global warming. They also warned that new research suggests human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could do more damage to the earth than was previously predicted in the last international assessment of climate change science from 2007.

"New analyses show that global greenhouse gas concentrations are increasing, sea level(s) rising and Arctic sea ice decreasing faster than projected only a few years ago," said the letter, signed by 130 Canadian climate science leaders from the academic, public and private sectors. "Water shortages are predicted in the western Prairies, the Okanagan and in the Great Lakes basin. Earlier targets to avoid human interference with the climate system are now seen to be inadequate."

Many scientists believe that putting a price on the release of greenhouse gas emissions should be an essential part of a climate change strategy, says Dr. Gordon McBean, a climatologist from the University of Western Ontario who organized the letter campaign.

Many scientists believe that putting a price on the release of greenhouse gas emissions should be an essential part of a climate change strategy, says Dr. Gordon McBean, a climatologist from the University of Western Ontario who organized the letter campaign.

… Last week, Harper described a carbon tax proposal from the Green party and the federal Liberals as an "insane" approach that would "screw everybody." But McBean, who was honoured on Tuesday by his university and the city of London, Ontario, for his contribution to the Nobel Prize-winning report, said he was disappointed about the reaction....

Canada maple leaf extracted from the Canadian flag by "Dbenbenn," who has released it into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Thank you, Debenbenn