Bali Declaration urges tough greenhouse gas limits
UNSW climatologists are leading a consortium of more than 200 leading climate scientists who have warned the United
Nations Climate Conference of the need to act immediately to cut greenhouse gas emissions, with a window of 10-15 years
for global emissions to peak and decline, and a goal of at least a 50 percent reduction by 2050.
The scientists warn that if immediate action is not taken, many millions of people will be at risk from extreme events
such as heatwaves, drought, floods and storms, with coasts and cities threatened by rising sea levels, and many
ecosystems, plants and animal species in serious danger of extinction.
The researchers, who include many of the world's most acclaimed climate scientists, have issued the 'Bali Climate
Declaration by Scientists' in which they call on government negotiators from the 180 nations represented at the meeting
to recognise the urgency of taking action now. They say the world may have as little as 10 years to start reversing the
global rise in emissions.
The Bali Declaration emphasises the current scientific consensus that long-term greenhouse gas concentrations need to be
stabilised at a level well below 450ppm CO2e (450 parts per million measured in carbon dioxide equivalent).
Building on the urgency of the recent Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released
on 17 November in Valencia, Spain, the declaration calls on governments to reduce emissions "by at least 50 percent
below their 1990 levels by the year 2050".
The Bali Declaration endorses the latest scientific consensus that every effort must be made to keep increases in the
globally averaged surface temperature to below 2 degrees C. The scientists say that "to stay below 2 degrees C, global
emissions must peak and decline in the next 10 to 15 years". The critical reductions in global emissions of greenhouse
gases and the atmospheric stabilisation target highlighted in the Bali Declaration places a tremendous responsibility on
the Bali United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Negotiations at Bali must start the process of reaching a new global agreement that sets strong and binding targets and
includes the vast majority of the nations of the world. The Bali Declaration concludes: "As scientists, we urge the
negotiators to reach an agreement that takes these targets as a minimum requirement for a fair and effective global
climate agreement."
The Bali Climate Declaration by Scientists was organised under the auspices of the Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC)
at UNSW, Sydney, Australia. All of the signatories agreed to sign the Declaration in their personal capacities. The
views expressed in the text of the Declaration do not necessarily represent the views of the institutions or
international climate research programs to which any of the signatories may be affiliated.
The signatories of the Bali Declaration are being represented in Bali at the UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol COP13/CMP3 meeting
by: Professor Matthew England (Australia), Professor Richard Somerville (United States), Professor Andrew Pitman
(Australia), Professor Diana Liverman (United Kingdom), Dr Michael Molitor (Policy Advisor, Australia).
This initiative was launched and managed by a small group of climate experts that includes Professor Matthew England,
Professor Andrew Pitman, Professor Richard Somerville, Dr Michael Molitor and Professor Stefan Rahmstorf (Germany).
ENDS