Stabilizing CO2 Means Steep Emission Cuts Eventually
Notes:
CO2 Emissions Leading to Stabilization at Various Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations
Although clear consensus has not been reached regarding the level at which greenhouse gas concentrations must be stabilized in order to prevent “dangerous climate interference,” calculations by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make it clear that emission reductions well beyond any contemplated in the Kyoto treaty will be needed to stabilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations at even two or three times their pre-industrial level of 280 parts per million. For more information see http://www.wri.org/trends/kyoto.html.
Source: T.M.L. Wigley, R. Richels, and J.A. Edmonds, “Economic and Environmental Choices in the Stabilization of Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations,” Nature, Vol. 379 (January 18, 1996), p. 240.