By Dean
he most efficient way to verify the amount of Green House Gases (GHG) that a country produces is by remote measurements from satellites in orbit. Each nation that wishes to verity it’s own GHG emissions, or those of any other, must either launch their own satellite, or subscribe to the service of a GHG satellite. Transparency can be best reached by publishing the satellites’ findings on the Internet, along with the current goals and projected measurements, in a global l GIS surface map.
Verification would involve a one time only satellite inspection by weather scientists and satellite technicians to verify the payload of any GHG satellite before it is launched. The satellites must be of Open Design and made available to all signatories of the Copenhagen treaty. Calibration must be agreed to in advance, using known ground based sensor data.
We can not go back to the old thinking where technical missions would verify in situ, possibly measuring and seeking other sensitive information. GHG satellites are technically viable. If we can measure the composition of the Martian atmosphere, we can certainly do the same on Earth. In fact, a few years ago, the USA launched a satellite to measure GHG emissions, but it failed just as it entered orbit. Too bad, no? Fijese… as they say in Guatemala.
Atlanta, GA
Fri, 18 Dec 2009