Scientific Case for Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change to Protect Young People and Nature
Abstract
Global warming due to human-made gases, mainly CO2, is already 0.8{\deg}C and deleterious climate impacts are growing worldwide. More warming is 'in the pipeline' because Earth is out of energy balance, with absorbed solar energy exceeding planetary heat radiation. Maintaining a climate that resembles the Holocene, the world of stable shorelines in which civilization developed, requires rapidly reducing fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Such a scenario is economically sensible and has multiple benefits for humanity and other species. Yet fossil fuel extraction is expanding, including highly carbon-intensive sources that can push the climate system beyond tipping points such that amplifying feedbacks drive further climate change that is practically out of humanity's control. This situation raises profound moral issues as young people, future generations, and nature, with no possibility of protecting their future well-being, will bear the principal consequences of actions and inactions of today's adults.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1110.1365,
title = {Scientific Case for Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change to Protect Young People and Nature},
author = {James Hansen and Pushker Kharecha and Makiko Sato and Frank Ackerman and Paul J. Hearty and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Shi-Ling Hsu and Fred Krueger and Camille Parmesan and Stefan Rahmstorf and Johan Rockstrom and Eelco J. Rohling and Jeffrey Sachs and Peter Smith and Konrad Steffen and Lise Van Susteren and Karina von Schuckmann and James C. Zachos},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1110.1365},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
28 pages, 6 figures; version submitted to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences