Most of the CO2 is in the oceans and out of reach. Methane Hydrates aren’t being considered yet. Meanwhile the portion of the atmosphere covering North America which is sustained above 1850 ppb is now entering the Gulf of Mexico while anomalies in the arctic are above 2.6 ppm a level high enough that the scale changes from ppb to ppm.
CO2 that gets scrubbed just turns into natural gas which is largely methane. That portion of CO2 which doesn’t get scrubbed lasts 400 years.
The trees and plants and especially the phyto plankton in the North Atlantic only last 40 years in the most optimistic scenario from the last report of the IPCC the worst case occurs four times sooner.
When they stop scrubbing CO2 and producing Oxygen the present portion of the atmosphere which is Oxygen begins to drop replaced by CO2 and Methane.
Right now its 21% When it drops 2% to 19% people begin having difficulty breathing . After it drops another 2% people would have difficulty working outside without oxygen canisters as if they were climbing Mount Everest. Another 2% and its like being in a mine after an accident or in a submarine being depth charged.
Meanwhile we continue to bulldoze the boreal forests to get at tar sands in Alberta and burn the rain forests to get land to grow palm trees for palm oil, and to grow beef for hamburgers.
The Oxygen deprived red tides and other algae blooms have created oxygen starved dead zones well out into the Outer Continental Shelves killing the reefs where plankton develop to feed the fish that feed us, and all those fish stocks are already over fished.
As for the proposals to deacidify the oceans, desalinization plants to create potable water for humans, while carbon capture and sequestration plants scrub the atmosphere of CO2, the costs for all those things individually begin to equal our gross national product.
Meanwhile our cities sink beneath the waves and have to be relocated while the tropics are projected to be uninhabitable this century, possibly by 2050.
All told to prevent these emissions and their consequences we need to spend four times our gross national product every year for the next century. If we manage to keep a few species, ourselves included alive until what we have already put in the atmosphere dissipates we will need to reduce our population by half instead of doubling what it is now by 2050. That would probably require getting rid of any religious objections with diplomacy at a level we haven’t even contemplated yet.
Already we are seeing massive droughts in California, while Florida is as often as not flooded and even mentioning Climate Change is now a crime there. In the arctic and Siberia and along the Outer Continental Shelves Three Earth Atmospheres of Methane which is 100 times as effective in trapping heat in our atmosphere is being released at a rate of increase which is increasing at an increasing rate.
After all this negativity about the TPP, Chapter 20 Article 20.1,- 20.19 regarding market based incentives, and public private partnerships, Those of us who are interested and want to do so can get involved in the development of criteria used to evaluate environmental performance and can be encouraged to develop mechanisms (WARNING LABELS?) that are truthful, not misleading and take into account scientific and technical information about what the threat is to our survival .
Its been touched on lightly like stepping out onto thin ice or putting your big toe into the ocean to see if its too hot. Its baby steps that don’t even come out and say its a transition from protecting the environment to reversing climate change but its the first time that we have gotten our foot in the door and agreed we should do it together.
There is provision for market based incentives, and public private partnerships and other interested persons involved in the development of criteria used to evaluate environmental performance, to encourage those entities and organisations to develop voluntary mechanisms that, among other things:
(a) are truthful, are not misleading and take into account scientific and technical information;
Chapter20 Environment
Article 20 .1: Definitions
Article 20.2 Objectives
Article 20.3: General Commitments
Article20.4: Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Article 20. 5: Protection of the Ozone Layer
1.The Parties recognise that emissions of certain substances can significantly deplete and otherwise modify the ozone layer in a manner that is likely to result in adverse effects on human health and the environment. Accordingly, each Party shall take measures to control the production and consumption of, and trade in, such substances
Article 20.6: Protection of the Marine Environment from Ship Pollution
1. The Parties recognise the importance of protecting and preserving the marine environment. To that end, each Party shall take measures to prevent the pollution of the marine environment from ships
Article 20.9 : Public Submissions
1. Each Party shall provide for the receipt and consideration of written submissions from persons of that Party regard iits implementation of this Chapter.9 Each Party shall respond in a timely manner to such submissions in writing and in accordance with domestic procedures,
and make the submissions and its responses available to the public,
for example by posting on an appropriate public website.
2. Each Party shall make its procedures for the receipt and consideration of written submissions readily accessible
and publicly available, for example by posting on an appropriate public website.
Article 20.10: Corporate Social Responsibility
Each Party should encourage enterprises operating within its territory or jurisdiction,
to adopt voluntarily, into their policies and practices, principles of corporate social responsibility that are
related to the environment, consistent with internationally recognised standards and guidelines that have been endorsed or are supported by that Party.
Article 20.11: Voluntary Mechanisms to Enhance Environmental
Performance
1. The Parties recognise that flexible, voluntary mechanisms, for example,voluntary auditing and reporting, market-based incentives, voluntary sharing of information and expertise, and public-private partnerships, can contribute to the achievement and maintenance
of high levels of environmental protection and complement domestic regulatory measures. The Parties also recognise that those mechanisms should be designed in a manner that maximises their environmental benefits and avoids the creation of unnecessary barriers to trade.
2.Therefore, in accordance with its laws, regulations or policies and to the extent it considers appropriate, each Party shall encourage:
(a) the use of flexible and voluntary mechanisms to protect natural resources and the environment in its territory; and
(b) its relevant authorities, businesses and business organisations, non -governmental organisations and other interested persons involved in the development of criteria used to evaluate environmental performance, with respect to these voluntary mechanisms, to continue to develop and improve such criteria.
3. Further, if private sector entities or non-governmental organisations develop voluntary mechanisms for the promotion of products based on their environmental qualities, each Party should encourage those entities and organisations to develop voluntary
mechanisms that, among other things:
(a) are truthful, are not misleading and take into account scientific and technical information;
(b) if applicable and available, are based on relevant international standards, recommendations or guidelines, and best practices;
(c ) promote competition and innovation; and
(d) do not treat a product less favourably on the basis of origin.
Article 20.12:Cooperation Frameworks
Article 20.13: Trade and Biodiversity
Article 20.14: Invasive Alien Species
Article 20.15:Transition to a Low Emissions and Resilient Economy
1. The Parties acknowledge that transition to a low emissions economy requires collective action.
2. The Parties recognise that each Party’s actions to transition to a low emissions economy should reflect domestic circumstances and capabilities and, consistent with Article 20.12(Cooperative Frameworks), Parties shall cooperate to address matters of joint or
common interest.
Areas of cooperation may include,but are not limited to: sharing of information and experiences in addressing this issue; energy efficiency; development of cost-effective, low-
emissions technologies and alternative, clean and renewable energy sources; sustainable transport and sustainable urban infrastructure development; addressing deforestation and forest degradation; emissions monitoring; market and non-market mechanisms; low-emissions, resilient development and sharing of
information and experiences in addressing this issue. Further, the Parties shall, as appropriate, engage in cooperative and capacity-building activities related to transitioning to a low emissions economy.
Article 20.16:Marine Capture Fisheries
Article 20.17: Conservation and Trade
Article 20.18: Environmental Goods and Services
Article 20.19:Environment Committee and Contact Points