SGR Position Statement on Climate Change

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) advocates for a minimum 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by industrialised countries by 2010, based on IPCC evidence of human influence on the climate. The document warns of catastrophic consequences, including sea-level rise affecting small island states and the potential disruption of the North Atlantic Current. SGR rejects geo-engineering and cost-benefit analysis as inappropriate tools for climate assessment, instead proposing ecological tax reform, renewable energy investment, and a long-term global goal of equal per capita emissions.

• SGR supports the IPCC's conclusion that human activity has a discernible influence on the global climate and warns that continued influence could result in warming greater than any period in the last 10,000 years.
• To stabilise atmospheric concentrations of CO2 at current levels, an immediate reduction of at least 50% in emissions is required, as CO2 remains in the atmosphere for approximately 100 years.
• Predicted global warming of 1.5 to 4.5 °C (most likely 2.5 °C) by 2050 would cause sea-level rise through thermal expansion and melting ice sheets, threatening small island states like Kiribati and low-lying areas in Bangladesh, Egypt, and the Netherlands.
• Rapid warming could disrupt the global ocean current system, specifically the North Atlantic Current (the Gulf Stream extension), which could paradoxically lead to regional cooling in Britain and Northern Europe.
• SGR argues that cost-benefit analysis is an inappropriate method for assessing climate change because it subjectively values social and environmental qualities and disproportionately undervalues the impact on poorer countries in the South.
• The document recommends several 'win-win' mitigation measures, including the removal of energy efficiency barriers, investment in renewable energy, ecological tax reform (shifting taxes from income to energy and pollution), and the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies, including aviation fuel.
• SGR opposes the use of climate or geo-engineering—such as adding iron to the ocean—to offset emissions, citing a lack of understanding of feedback processes and the risk of worsening the situation.
• For the Kyoto CoP-3 meeting, SGR calls for a legally binding target for Annex 1 industrialised countries to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20% over 1990 levels by 2010, and similar targets for other greenhouse gases not covered by the Montreal Protocol.
• The long-term solution proposed is a global strategy of contraction in greenhouse gas emissions and convergence toward equal per capita emissions on a global scale.

APA

Scientists for Global Responsibility (1997). SGR Position Statement on Climate Change. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/sgr-position-statement-climate-change-1997

Chicago

Scientists for Global Responsibility. SGR Position Statement on Climate Change. 1997. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/sgr-position-statement-climate-change-1997.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Scientists for Global Responsibility |title=SGR Position Statement on Climate Change |date=November 1997 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/sgr-position-statement-climate-change-1997 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{scientistsforglobalresponsibility1997sgr, author = {{Scientists for Global Responsibility}}, title = {{SGR Position Statement on Climate Change}}, publisher = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {1997}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/sgr-position-statement-climate-change-1997}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }