There’s a broad consensus that we must avoid
letting atmospheric CO2 levels exceed 450 ppm
(parts per million), because 450ppm will heat the
planet to a dangerous 2 Celsius above
pre-industrial levels.
Over the past couple years, there’s been a
broadening consensus that we won’t hold the ppm
to 450. Why? Simply because we aren’t cutting our
consumption of forests and fossil fuels by
anywhere near enough to do that job.
Lance
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“In the jargon used to count the steady
accumulation of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s
thin layer of atmosphere, he said it was
‘improbable’ that levels could now be restricted
to 650 parts per million (ppm).”
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The Guardian (UK)
Tuesday December 9 2008
Too late? Why scientists say we should expect the worst
At a high-level academic conference on global
warming at Exeter University this summer, climate
scientist Kevin Anderson stood before his expert
audience and contemplated a strange feeling. He
wanted to be wrong. Many of those in the room who
knew what he was about to say felt the same. His
conclusions had already caused a stir in
scientific and political circles. Even committed
green campaigners said the implications left them
terrified.
Anderson, an expert at the Tyndall Centre for
Climate Change Research at Manchester University,
was about to send the gloomiest dispatch yet from
the frontline of the war against climate change.
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