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\u2019ll need to prevent the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere from rising above 450 parts per million. Currently, we\u2019re at about 392 parts per million. So we\u2019ve got some wiggle room, right?<\/p>\n
(Tim Wimborne\/Reuters) Actually, no, according to the International Energy Agency\u2019s new 2011 World Energy Outlook report. The key issue here is something known as \u201cinfrastructure lock-in.\u201d 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\u2019re 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\u2019s a lag built into our energy infrastructure. It\u2019s not easy to turn off the carbon tap once we edge near 450 ppm.<\/p>\n