We are running out of time to reduce our carbon footprints

Joe Gill’s article on Irish grass (Irish Examiner, Aug 15) has much to commend it, but it does not reflect a good grasp of the science of climate change.

Climate change has indeed been with us forever, but the climate ‘forcing’ that we are now witnessing due to excess carbon being pumped into the atmosphere by human activity — carbon stored over millions of years in the form of fossil fuel — has certainly never occurred before.

The difference is critical as the time scale is so short, now occurring over decades, rather than thousands, of years.

The global average temperature increase of 0.7ºC since pre-industrial times may seem small, but it is the underlying cause of all the extreme weather events that we are experiencing, and these are predicted to increase with the continuing temperature rise.

The problem is that because of the long half life of CO² in the atmosphere we are now ‘locked in’ to a continuing rise to at least 2ºC above pre-industrial level, and as global CO² release is continuing to increase, it seems unlikely that we will be able to contain the temperature rise to this ‘safe’ level.

As this is likely to occur by 2050 we are then in a situation where we may reach a ‘tipping point’ when feedback mechanisms permit runaway climate change when, I regret to say, that water supplies will be only one of many problems which our children will face.

Mitigation and adaption strategies are being examined by governments worldwide, but a more urgent and effective approach is required.

Each one of us must examine our carbon footprint and drastically reduce it immediately.

If this happens on a global scale in industrial countries, Ireland could well continue to be one of the better places on the planet in which to live.

Dr Philip Michael

Hon Secretary Irish Doctors Environmental Association VP [Europe]

International Society of Doctors for the Environment

Bandon

Co Cork