Carbon targets still too high
The current EU target – the world’s strictest – sets a cap of 550 parts per million (ppm) on atmospheric CO2 levels, but according to the nine scientists who co-authored the report, submitted to the Journal of Science and pre-published on www.arxiv.org, that target should be lowered to 350 ppm. According to their calculations, a concentration of 550 ppm would cause global temperatures to rise by as much as 6°C – 3°C higher than previous estimates – a scenario that James Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, one of the report’s authors, described as ‘a disaster’.
Instead of using theoretical computer models, the group based their research on the analysis of sediment cores extracted from the ocean floor, which contain a detailed record of atmospheric CO2 levels over millions of years.
They conclude that the target of 350 ppm CO2 is achievable if the use of coal is phased out and agricultural and forestry practices that sequester carbon are widely adopted.
June 2008
Instead of using theoretical computer models, the group based their research on the analysis of sediment cores extracted from the ocean floor, which contain a detailed record of atmospheric CO2 levels over millions of years.
They conclude that the target of 350 ppm CO2 is achievable if the use of coal is phased out and agricultural and forestry practices that sequester carbon are widely adopted.
June 2008
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