Workshop on climate change mitigation

UCT's Energy Research Centre hosted a workshop for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III on climate change mitigation.

Al Gore Junior and the IPCC bagged the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their part in highlighting man-made climate change and the measure needed to counteract it.

Associate Professor Harald Winkler of UCT's Mechanical Engineering Energy Research Centre, (pictured left) is part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Delegates at the meeting heard that five main factors could mitigate against climate change. Among the points raised were:

• Socio-economic and technological development are strong drivers for greenhouse gas emissions and as climate change is a development issue it can be solved
• Technologies are available for limiting climate change to 2 deg C above the pre-industrial rates, at relatively low cost
• Strong policies are needed to realise rapid global emissions reduction by implementing and furthering the necessary technologies

Next month the IPCC plenary will meet in Valencia to adopt the fourth and final volume, Climate Change 2007.