Solutions discussed at Portsmouth climate change conference
Critics say some attendees play down immediate threat of climate change
Critics say some attendees play down immediate threat of climate change
Critics say some attendees play down immediate threat of climate change
Climate scientists and energy advocates shared different ideas on how to combat the problem of climate change during an event Friday that had become controversial.
Most in the audience and panel at the Citizens Count Portsmouth Conference at Wentworth by the Sea agreed that climate change is a problem, but some had different ideas of how to handle it.
"The developing world is not listening," said Benny Peiser of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
The inclusion of groups such as the Global Warming Policy Foundation led to criticism of the conference. Some have described the think tank as promoting climate change denial, while the group itself says it wants to analyze the costs of proposals to address climate change and bring balance to the discussion.
Bjorn Lomborg of the think tank Copenhagen Consensus Center, based in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, said the issue must be addressed efficiently.
"What will fix climate change is a dramatic increase in research and development so that we get the technologies that will eventually enable us to cut carbon emissions dramatically," he said.
Lomborg has also faced criticism for arguing that other problems in the world should take higher priority in the short term than climate change. Many at the conference said there is no time to waste, citing the recent United Nations report that predicted dramatically rising sea levels and widespread drought by 2040 if greenhouse emissions aren't reduced immediately.
"Maybe they're not 100 percent right, but I feel they're the best we've got right now, and I don't want to risk ignoring them," said Florence Reed of Sustainable Harvest International, a group focused on ending tropical deforestation and promoting sustainable farming practices.
This event lost support from the city because of the controversial views of some of the speakers. It was still well-attended by city leaders, including Mayor Jack Blalock.
"I want to listen to people that I agree with, and I also want to listen, more importantly, to people that I disagree with, because if I don't know what the arguments are, how can I draw the right conclusions?" he said.
Students also voiced their opinions, saying something must be done now.
"We are the generation that will face the consequences of, let's be honest, some of the actions they took years back," said Maria Chavez, a Columbia University graduate student.
A report released over the summer by the Union of Concerned Scientists said about 2,000 New Hampshire homes could be at risk due to rising sea levels by 2045.