Newsletter on March to 24 Sussex Drive

ClimateFast 2013

Dear friends,

As you are aware, the IPCC released its Summary for Policy Makers today. They also released Headline Statements from the Summary for Policymakers which I have added as a blog on the ClimateFast site, but am also including below.

Predictably, the Harper Government, went on the defensive, and Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq issued a statement saying her government is already “playing a leadership role in addressing climate change.” If only that were true, the ClimateFasters could have a good meal tonight instead of continuing with their fast.

Today the ClimateFasters delivered a letter to Prime Minister Harper and then marched to the Prime Minister's residence.

Upcoming Events

On Sunday the ClimateFasters will be on the Hill from 3:30 pm to 6 pm after attending the Rally for the Rideau River. Other days they will be on the Hill at the regular time of 9 am to 6 pm

Saturday, Sept 28 - 7:00pm screening of Bidder 70 at Friend's Meeting House. 91A Fourth Avenue. Bidder 70 is Tim DeCristopher's story surrounded by a wider context of citizen action, our history of peaceful civil disobedience, and grass roots movements demanding government and industry accountability.

Sunday, Sept 29

9:30am to 1:00pm Walk to City Hall

We are inviting you to a march, boat-ride, and rally to protect the Rideau River and the residents of Ottawa from the TransCanada Tar Sands Pipeline!

The plan is to gather Vincent Massey Park at 9:30am, either walking alongside or paddling up the Rideau River, and hold a rally at City Hall starting at 1pm until 3pm.

At the rally we will deliver the petitions we have signed (please sign at l), as well as a number of speakers and artists performing.

Please join us at Vincent Massey Park with your canoe or walking shoes, or later at City Hall, and have your voice heard!

1:00pm to 3:00pm Rally for the Rideau River at City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave W

For more information on the pipeline, please see TarFree613.ca

Monday, Sept 30 - 7:00pm The Economics of Happiness screening at 400 McArthur (on #14 bus) Ottawa

Shows a grassroots movement for localization that is bubbling up from the cracks of a faltering global economy. A better world is within our reach.

The Triumph of Death, Peter Bruegel the Elder, c1562

Is this what we can look forward to unless we can persuade our politicians to resist the influence of the fossil fuel lobbyists? We have the power to change this picture from death to a life-giving future - by following the path of rapidly reducing carbon emissions as recommended by the IPCC.  Let's make sure that we do so, and make sure the politicans we have elected to Parliament understand our determination to get there! On the other hand, with political will we could have a green future using renewable energy.

Wind turbines at the Forward Wind Energy Center

Headline Statements from the Summary for Policymakers

• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen, and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased.
• Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850. In the Northern Hemisphere, 1983–2012 was likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 1400 years (medium confidence).
• Ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010 (high confidence). It is virtually certain that the upper ocean (0−700 m) warmed from 1971 to 2010, and it likely warmed between the 1870s and 1971.
• Over the last two decades, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been losing mass, glaciers have continued to shrink almost worldwide, and Arctic sea ice and Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover have continued to decrease in extent (high confidence)
• The rate of sea level rise since the mid-19th century has been larger than the mean rate during the previous two millennia (high confidence). Over the period 1901–2010, global mean sea level rose by 0.19 [0.17 to 0.21] m.
• The atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide have increased to levels unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years. CO2 concentrations have increased by 40% since pre-industrial times, primarily from fossil fuel emissions and secondarily from net land use change emissions. The ocean has absorbed about 30% of the emitted anthropogenic carbon dioxide, causing ocean acidification.
• Total radiative forcing is positive, and has led to an uptake of energy by the climate system. The largest contribution to total radiative forcing is caused by the increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2 since 1750.
• Human influence on the climate system is clear. This is evident from the increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, positive radiative forcing, observed warming, and understanding of the climate system.
• Climate models have improved since the AR4. Models reproduce observed continental-scale surface temperature patterns and trends over many decades, including the more rapid warming since the mid-20th century and the cooling immediately following large volcanic eruptions (very high confidence).
• Observational and model studies of temperature change, climate feedbacks and changes in the Earth’s energy budget together provide confidence in the magnitude of global warming in response to past and future forcing.
• Human influence has been detected in warming of the atmosphere and the ocean, in changes in the global water cycle, in reductions in snow and ice, in global mean sea level rise, and in changes in some climate extremes. This evidence for human influence has grown since AR4. It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.
• Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Global surface temperature change for the end of the 21st century is likely to exceed 1.5°C relative to 1850 to 1900 for all RCP scenarios except RCP2.6. It is likely to exceed 2°C for RCP6.0 and RCP8.5, and more likely than not to exceed 2°C for RCP4.5. Warming will continue beyond 2100 under all RCP scenarios except RCP2.6. Warming will continue to exhibit interannual-to-decadal variability and will not be regionally uniform.
• Changes in the global water cycle in response to the warming over the 21st century will not be uniform. The contrast in precipitation between wet and dry regions and between wet and dry seasons will increase, although there may be regional exceptions.
• The global ocean will continue to warm during the 21st century. Heat will penetrate from the surface to the deep ocean and affect ocean circulation.
• It is very likely that the Arctic sea ice cover will continue to shrink and thin and that Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover will decrease during the 21st century as global mean surface temperature rises. Global glacier volume will further decrease.
• Global mean sea level will continue to rise during the 21st century. Under all RCP scenarios the rate of sea level rise will very likely exceed that observed during 1971–2010 due to increased ocean warming and increased loss of mass from glaciers and ice sheets.
• Climate change will affect carbon cycle processes in a way that will exacerbate the increase of CO 2 in the atmosphere (high confidence). Further uptake of carbon by the ocean will increase ocean acidification.
• Cumulative emissions of CO 2 largely determine global mean surface warming by the late 21st century and beyond. Most aspects of climate change will persist for many centuries even if emissions of CO2 are stopped. This represents a substantial multi-century climate change commitment created by past, present and future emissions of CO2.

Patricia, on behalf of
The ClimateFast Team,
Hungry for Climate Leadership