by Les W Kuzyk
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“Should we wait any longer?” Vince spoke softly.
Tamanna came alert, and he pointed at the flight visiscreen map. They were passing outside Nigerien airspace.
“Right.” She beamed. “Let’s do it.”
He followed Tami across to the Canadian political team who fell silent as they took their seats. He waited as she turned on her recording device and began the tone setting questions required by Nishat. Do you now represent the office of the Canadian Climate Minister? Yes. Is your Minister in attendance at COP 33? Yes. Is your Prime Minister in attendance at COP 33? No. Will your Minister be speaking to your Prime Minister? We can ensure that.
“Okay, then,” Tamanna said. “We speak for Her Excellency Nishat Jabbar, Minister of Climate Change International Negotiations for the HICCC. We’ve been instructed to supplement your information on the HICCC position—our engineering consultant will now fill you in further.”
Vince looked towards Harry and his official team, feeling that spinal shiver. Harry had what might have been a practiced firm smile on his face. “So geoengineering,” Harry said. Vince took a breath. “Oui. We will stick with English if that suits you. For the sake of the mademoiselle ici.”
Harry’s face twitched, but he nodded. “Yes, we can do that.”
“As Ms. Meacham has stated, the HICCC Minister wishes to fill you in completely on the Pinatubo II project. We have described the Green Sahara scenario—we also have a planet wide scenario.”
Vince noticed drop dead attention.
“If you will imagine the geography of the HICCC nations, they are scattered around the globe, and each has a citizen count and a land and sea area. By now we agree, they and all countries share one common planetary atmosphere. With only HICCC nations participating in a global scenario, we have calculated a sulphur dioxide release to cool the entire planet. Simply put, we divide the sulphur release among members proportional to their area and population as well as the extra planet they will have to cover for non participants.”
“Planet wide! Global!” Harry’s voice rose. “You’re talking of the whole planet now.”
Tamanna and Vincent nodded in unison, and spoke together as one voice.
“Yes, global.”
“Okay, listen up on this brief,” Vince said. “A country like Niger releases just over three percent of the global target. All sulphur will be released within Nigerien air space and Niger expects completion within weeks. Expand that to cover all HICCC countries, and the total release comes out at double that of Pinatubo. We expect the global average temperature will be measurably lowered over the next six months at which time we will re-evaluate our maintenance releases for adjustment.”
“Jesus!” Harry stared at the wall, shaking his head.
“So, Pinatubo II,” Vince said. “Easy name to remember.”
“Please, please, then to confirm,” André said, looking back and forth between Harry and Vince. “The global sulphur release has started tonight? Did you say so?”
Tami and Vince looked at each other, then back at the Canadians.
“Yes,” said Tami. “Tonight.”
“Correct,” Vince said, nodding in agreement.
This event will catch the attention of those who did nothing or impeded progress at COP all those years, Vince thought. Something real to talk about now. He turned to Tami who appeared to have more to add.
“As I alluded to earlier,” Tamanna said. “The HICCC has a fully global ten year climate cooling plan.”
Vince watched the Canadian team. They appeared disjointed, looking anywhere but at each other.
“To expand on Vince’s geography and add in the politics,” Tamanna went on. “One fifth of the planetary land area where a third of the planetary population resides are participating. Sulphur release may or may not be flexible, depending specifically on the direct action taken by the OECD. To consider any change, we need measurable and confirmed reductions in rich country carbon emissions.”
“Do you understand?” Vince asked. He hoped one fifth and one third were not too numerical.
Silence.
“Also,” Tamanna said. “Our Minister Jabbar has stated the HICCC invites the OECD to the negotiation table. We have a new set of terms to offer.”
“Please, to one more time confirm what you say.” André spoke again, looking briefly at Harry. “You have initiated a global cooling effort. Yet the HICCC wishes to resume climate change negotiations with the OECD under these new terms.”
“Precisely.” Tamanna put in. “And due to the late time and the need to directly inform your Minister, we suggest adjourning this meeting until we land.”
“We’re still available for consultation on your messaging,” Vince said looking to Tamanna. On this political stuff he couldn’t help but poke in more. “The message we strongly suggest Canada release openly at the COP conference.”
“What are you saying now?” Harry said under his breath as he rose and walked away muttering in his own space. “How can you be doing a global project?”
“You could spin Pinatubo II through a global ramifications perspective, like you might even if Sahel countries alone were acting.” Vince turned to Paul and André. “One way to look at this situation could be the current carbon release by OECD countries. But in reverse. A country like Canada now dumps global climate warming carbon that directly messes with the climate of Niger. Now Niger dumps global cooling sulphur that directly messes with the climate of Canada.”