World Set To Use 2C Limit Carbon Budget For 21st Century By 2034
The world is on track to use up its carbon budget for the rest of the century – which researchers say must not be exceeded if global warming is to be kept to less than 2C – within the next 21 years, according to new analysis. The Low Carbon Economy Index 2013, by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), shows that we are currently on a path that will lead to warming of around 4C by 2100, according to the predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The IPCC’s recent review of climate science warned that the world could emit no more than 270 gigatonnes of carbon (GtC) before the end of the century, in order to limit global surface temperature rises to 1.6C. The Low Carbon Economy Index predicts that on its current trajectory, the world will use this budget by 2034.
The IPCC labelled 2C of global warming as the threshold above which climate change could seriously damage the environment.
The report calculates that to maintain economic growth without exceeding this threshold, the G20 needs to reduce its carbon intensity by 6% per year. However, PwC’s four previous annual reports show that G20 decarbonisation has only averaged 0.7% per year.
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http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2013/11/04/world-on-track-to-use-up-entire-21st-century-carbon-budget-by-2034/