Green Labor Journal - Working for a Substainable Future

Climate Change - By the Numbers

Print this article

The challenge is enormous and the time short, if humanity is to bring global warming under control.  Essentially, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere was nearly constant for 10,000 years.  Then, suddenly, in direct correlation with the birth and growth of the Industrial Revolution, the CO2 level increased during the past 150 years by over 36% from 280 parts per million to 385 parts per million.  The following is a brief overview of climate change by the numbers.

CO2 levels by parts per million (ppm) in our atmosphere,
•    Current CO2 levels are at 385 ppm.
•    The levels needed to restore lost sea ice: 300-325 ppm.
•    The goal for the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen was 350 ppm.
•    To minimize the calamitous impact of climate change, CO2 levels must not
      exceed 450 ppm by 2050.

Carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning remains airborne long after the fuel is used up.  
•    After 100 years, 1/3 of carbon dioxide is still found in the atmosphere.
•    After 1000 years, 1/5 still remains.

The Largest CO2 Emitters
 According to 2007 figures,
•    China emits 20.6% of all fossil fuel related carbon dioxide.
•    The United States emits 19.3%.
•    European Union emits approximately 17%.
•    India and Russia each contribute 5%.

In 2007, the three highest CO2 emitters per person annually were,
•    The United States with 5.5 tons per person per year.
•    Canada with just over 5 tons per person.
•    Russia with 3 tons per person.

In Our Atmosphere
In 2007 alone,
•    the amount of CO2 expelled into the atmosphere was 36 billion tons.
•    29 billion tons of that were caused by burning fossil fuels.
•    The remaining 7 billion tons were caused by destruction of tropical forests.

More facts about CO2
•    Every 15 billion tons of CO2 expelled raises the concentration by 1 ppm.
•    The global tipping point for carbon dioxide concentration is around 450 ppm.
•    If the global rate of CO2 emission continues at 2007 levels, one estimate indicates that the global tipping point will be reached within the next 28 years.

Getting Involved In Combating Climate Change
If you would like to get involved in the movement to combat climate change, you can:

•    Learn more from James Hansen, Ph.D., Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies at www.columbia.edu/~jeh1
•    Track the results of the U.N. Climate Change Conference at http://en.cop15.dk
•    Learn more about climate change at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34263882/ns/us_news-environment
•    Read about climate change and global warming at http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview.html

Information for this article was obtained from Chapter 4, “Climate Change: Cloudy with a Chance of Chaos,” in Jerry B. Brown, Ph.D., Rinaldo S. Brutoco, J.D., and James A. Cusumano, Ph.D., Freedom from Mid-East Oil (World Business Academy, 2007), which is available through: www.worldbusiness.org and www.amazon.com and from James A. Cusumano, “Part II, Climate Change & Global Sustainability,” published in Prague Leaders Magazine, March 2008. www.leadersmagazine.cz