date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 14:22:12 +0000 from: Tim Mitchell subject: DEFRA paper to: Nick Brooks , Mike Hulme Nick / Mike, Following my last email, are we also fully aware of the DEFRA position paper "The scientific case for setting a long-term emission reduction target"? See attachment. I particularly draw your attention to the following logic that purports to explain the UK government's adoption of a target no higher than 550 ppm. 9. The European Union has indicated that a level lower than 550 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, which is about twice the pre-industrial concentration, should guide global limitation and reduction efforts. 10. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution have also recommended that, on the basis of current scientific knowledge about human impact on climate, an atmospheric concentration of 550ppm of carbon dioxide should be regarded as an upper limit that should not be exceeded. 11. For the UK Government to announce or imply that it was aiming for a stabilisation level higher than 550ppm at this stage would certainly attract widespread criticism from environmental interests and EU and developing country governments. Tim _____________________________________ Dr. Tim Mitchell Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research email: t.mitchell@uea.ac.uk web: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~timm/ phone: +44 (0)1603 59 1378 fax: +44 (0)1603 59 3901 post: Tyndall, ENV, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK _____________________________________ Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\ewp_targetscience.pdf"