Global Carbon Project: Immediate Action Required to Stay Within Acceptable Upper Temperature Limits

Global emissions of carbon dioxide were at a record high in 2011 and are likely to keep on growing in 2012 and beyond unless we act now. According to a December 2, 2012 article published in Nature Climate Change, researchers affiliated with the Global Carbon Project came to the conclusion that it is becoming increasingly unlikely that we will be able to keep temperatures within acceptable upper limits. Emissions continue to grow so quickly that without immediate action it is unlikely that we can stay within the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) upper temperature limit established by scientists three years ago.

As reported in the New York Times, Josep G. Canadell, one of the scientists who worked on the report, said in a statement that salvaging the goal, if it can be done at all, “requires an immediate, large and sustained global mitigation effort.” However, we have not yet seen evidence that nations around the world are prepared to honor their commitment to limit warming.

Emissions are falling slowly in some developed nations, but this is partly due to the state of the economy and the transfer of some manufacturing to developing countries. While emissions may be falling is some developed countries, emissions from coal fired plants in developing nations like China and India are growing dramatically.

“If we’re going to run the world on coal, we’re in deep trouble,” said Gregg H. Marland, a scientist at Appalachian State University who has tracked emissions for decades.

Despite global agreement that emissions must be reduced, emissions jumped 3 percent in 2011 and are expected to jump and additional 2.6 percent in 2012.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Safe Upper Limit of Atmospheric Carbon is 350 PPM

As reviewed at 350.org, the science is clear, global warming is happening faster than ever and humans are responsible. Global warming is caused by releasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. The most common greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Global warming destabilizes the delicate balance that makes life on this planet possible. Just a few degrees in temperature can completely change the world as we know it, and threaten the lives of millions of people around the world. The planet is in peril because we've poured too much carbon into the atmosphere, and we already seen troubling signs including extreme weather and melting ice caps.

As of 2012 we have recorded 400 parts per million (PPM) of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the arctic. According to leading scientists, to avoid runaway climate change, we need to get that number down to 350 PPM (the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide).

Dr. James Hansen, of NASA, the United States' space agency is one of the world's leading authorities on climate science. He has been researching global warming for decades and along with his colleagues he has demonstrated that global warming is real using both real-world observation, computer simulation, and mountains of data about ancient climates to calculate what constitutes dangerous quantities of carbon in the atmosphere.and he was the first to publicly testify before the U.S. Congress, in June of 1988, that global warming was real. Click here to see the full text of James Hansen's paper on the upper safe limit of atmospheric carbon.

Getting back to 350 means transforming our world. The business community needs to continue to embrace sustainability in ever growing numbers. We need more renewable energy and less fossil fuels, greater efficiency and less waste, we also need more trees and less clear cutting. Perhaps most importantly getting atmospheric carbon down below 350 requires a global treaty that limits the amount carbon emissions.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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