The Canadian Government is set slash by a trenchant percentage, the budget for FY 2012-13, for its Environment Research and Meteorological Ministry, or Environment Canada. The cuts are expected as notice had been given to hundreds of employees about looming job cuts, and some Canadian-operated sites for ozone monitoring programs are already shutting down.
Environment Canada budget for FY 2011-12 was slashed by around US$222million and more is expected this year. The cuts are expected to deeply affect monitoring programs for pollution around North America and Arctic ozone levels. The cuts may also affect the Canadian air quality agreement with the US and its commitments to UN Framework on Climate change on ozone layer protection, according to commentary by some US scientists on this matter.
The Canadian Government understands the importance of these programs and how far it has come in years to the current status, the government also understands how unstable the economy is and cuts that must come to buffer it. Environment Canada perhaps is seen as a way to reduce government cost, maybe for no –- financial — returns reasons or so-high-and-should-cut costs.
This is bad for science, as comments of related forte are coming from several scientists. This move, as is elsewhere, to space agencies and other scientific bodies show that the economy really determines how science goes. The Canadian budget is expected in March, but hopes are that the current noise will prompt some backtrack.
The Canadian Government has been back-and-forth from environment issues after its December announcement to back out from the Kyoto Protocol. The government cited some reasons and some others that weren’t mentioned probably led to the move.
Adhering to the Kyoto –- for at least another one year, till the end of 2012 — in a world where some others that should are not, and is costing the economy in many ways, is unnecessary, and real impact of Canada’s reduced emission share of the total is not too clear, may be part of the latent reasons for withdrawing.
Canada on this is sincere, to say we are no more in, differing impending criticisms or ‘bad record’, is great probity. There are governments around the world, who won’t adhere and will not also pullout. Canada, is probably looking at options in its whole environmental stand, and believes it is more of a global priority than Canadas’.
Canada is aware of a major option, aside curbing emissions, as solution to global warming, geoengineering. Geoengineering — an artificial way to help the earth from excess of global warming to reduce or prevent its effects — is making news, and Canada knows that it may be the last resort in a climate change devastating situation in future.
Curbing emissions as the best and wide solution to global warming has a 2020 peg for adoption by nations, in line with the accord at the last UN climate change summit in Durban. 2020 is seen as too far, as certain groups want adherence, to cutting and capping emissions, by top-polluting nations and others before that time.
Protracting a yes is also a good way to say no, and with the long journey to 2020, with unknowns & unexpected through it, the vision is prone to disruption and the target may be in limbo. The world may be nude after the curbing emission option fails, but will hold the consciousness to preserve the earth and see the need for geoengineering.
The geoengineering calculation, prompting scientists involved to continue their studies, is based on this. Geoengineering is seen as risky, and may hold consequences that will never be discovered until deployment. Some geoengineering procedures are space based while others are not.
Geoengineering is majorly divided into two, Solar Radiation Management, SRM and Carbon Dioxide Removal, CDR. Both are procedures targeted at excesses responsible for global warming on earth, solar radiation or carbon dioxide. Geoengineering also, can also be used to solve ozone layer depletion problem according to a developing research work.
Ozone Layer Geoengineering is a space based solution that will replace lost ozone molecules in the ozone layer, by injection of oxygen gas, when deployed. The procedure is similar to how rocket engines pass liquid oxygen to gas, for combustion and propellation. The procedure is pointedly feasible and has hopes of repair beyond usual monitoring.
Geoengineering is a solution the world will have to agree on, before wide adoption and maybe the last resort to climate change and ozone layer depletion if they become more threatening in future. Geoengineering maybe one of Canada’s options in its stand or may want to see how the story goes, as the world hopes for a climate change binding deal by year 2020 and natural ozone layer recovery circa 2050.