Abstract
The evidence that person-made carbon emissions are contributing to the increasing temperature of the Earth grows stronger by the year. Data for the dominant secondary greenhouse gases are reviewed and updated, following publication in 2013 of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5th Assessment Report. It is suggested that methane emissions are every bit as serious a problem as carbon dioxide emissions, and the fact remains stark that we must face up to population issues over the next century if we are to limit the increase in temperature to a manageable 2 oC. It is suggested that targets for CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions expressed as % reductions per country are bland and do not connect with the general public. Rather, following MacKay in 2009, it is suggested that absolute numbers per person are used instead; it is believed that this will resonate better with the individual, and also that the scale of the problem that the world must address will become better understood. Within the UK, ideas for possible changes in legislation and adaptions to lifestyle are suggested.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Climate change |
| Subtitle of host publication | observed impacts on planet earth |
| Editors | Trevor Letcher |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Chapter | 24 |
| Edition | 2 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780444635358 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780444635242 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2015 |
Access to Document
- Chapter24resume_Tuckett_160415
This is a resume of a chapter of a book, Climate Change: Observed Impacts on Planet Earth, 2nd ed. (ed. Trevor M Letcher), to be published by Elsevier in ca. September 2015. As allowed by the contract between the author and the publisher, this resume constitutes only ca. 10% of the original chapter, and can therefore be published on Open Access websites including UBIRA. Eligibility for repository: checked 29/04/2015