Re: Ice cap melting FAST !


The Nordic man wrote:
> >>"Parties may offset their emissions by increasing the amount of
> >>greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere by so-called carbon
> >>'sinks' in the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector.
> >>
> >>So there seems to be a little basic math involved :)
> >
> >
> > Now go back and read that paragraph like a lawyer (remembering that it
> > was written by lawyers). Look at the word "increasing". What this says
> > (and this was one of the specific clauses that the US objected to) is
> > that if a country *increase* its carbon sinks it can count those
> > against emissions. But existing carbon sinks don't count.
>
> How does an existing carbon sink change the net emission?

1 million tons emitted is gross. 900,000 tons absorbed leaves 100,000
tons net. Kyoto only counts the 1 million as a starting point.

> As a side note, you are aware that calculating carbon sinks is
> terribly difficult?

Yes. Very difficult. As it determining the difference between total CO2
emissions caused by burning fossil fuels and total caused by breathing.
Including cows, birds and everything else. This is part of the whole
problem that lead me (and others) to refer to Kyoto as junk science.
All of the calculations are difficult. All are estimates to one extent
or another. But that doesn't stop them from declaring that their
numbers are "hard".

.

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