Based on everything we know about climate science, the basic game plan is that if we want to limit global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (or 35.6 Fahrenheit and avoid the most dangerous and unpredictable impacts), we’ll need to prevent the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere from rising above 450 parts per million. Currently, we’re at about 392 parts per million. So we’ve got some wiggle room, right?
(Tim Wimborne/Reuters) Actually, no, according to the International Energy Agency’s new 2011 World Energy Outlook report. The key issue here is something known as “infrastructure lock-in.” The coal plants that countries like China and India are constructing right now are going to last another 50 years, at least. The energy-inefficient buildings we’re erecting will stay up for some time. Every gas-guzzling SUV that gets built will likely get sold and then driven for at least a decade. Which is just a way of saying there’s a lag built into our energy infrastructure. It’s not easy to turn off the carbon tap once we edge near 450 ppm.
via When do we hit the point of no return for climate change? – The Washington Post.