“We cannot emphasize enough that current plans for addressing climate change are incompatible with an acceptable destiny. Our future health, as opposed to dollars, must become our priority. ”
The IPCC employed the term ‘net-zero’ under influence from member countries, which were likely swayed by fossil fuels. IPCC indicated net-zero to mean near-zero emissions by 2050, but participating countries interpreted it differently. They presumed that if emissions stayed ‘at or below’ their baseline year, then they achieve net-zero. Member countries need to recognize that near-zero emissions are the actual goal. Moreover, another misperception existing among many governments is that we can use various carbon sequestration methods to counter carbon emissions and draw down excess atmospheric CO2 at the same time
Geoff Strong is a climate scientist, writer, and educator based in Duncan, B.C. Richard van der Jagt is a retired hematologist/oncologist with a longstanding research interest on the affects of the environment on health, and an adjunct professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa.