The climate change debate can easily get bogged down in too many complex concepts and a plethora of numbers. As confusion cannot be allowed to become an excuse for inaction, Icarus Foundation founders have focused on simplifying the data. There are currently 5 key numbers you need to monitor:
2 degrees centigrade: this = the maximum increase in average global temperatures associated with pre-industrial times that will ensure the planet remains habitable and productive for humans.
350 parts per million - this is the concentraton of CO2 in the atmosphere that needs to be maintained if the average temperature is not to exceed the desirable 2 degree max increase.
800 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas - this is the amount of greenhouse gas (CO2 and other gases) that are being spewed into the atmosphere per second, largely as a result of human activity.
2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas - this is the amount of greenhouse gas (CO2 and other gases) that are being spewed into the atmosphere per month, largely as a result of human activity.
80% - this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that need to be reduced annually over 1990 levels if warming above 2 degrees centigrade is to be avoided. Note: politicians, such as the G8 leaders, enjoy the rhetoric of reduction but rarely are specific about the baseline date - a tendency that renders their intentions meaningless and ineffective and avoids accountability.
We'll add more numbers as we think aid understanding and stimulate action.
These are the balls you need to keep your eye on (see our previous post: Keeping Your Eye on the Ball), and, to help you, there are two key carbon-related indicators presented on this site here.
Thanks to an enlightened banker, Kevin Parker, Head of Deutsche Asset Management, we have excuse for taking our eye of 2 of five numbers. On June 18th, 2009, a huge electronic billboard was unveiled in the heart of`New York. Based on the previous example of a counter that managed national debt, this one tracks the volume of greenhouse gas emissions being spewed in real time into the earth's lief supporting atmosphere. For those of you who preview a short video story, here's the PBS account:
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