A hundred months to save the planet +

The Guardian is carrying a piece on global warming by Andrew Simms, head of the climate change programme at nef, in which he warns that time is running out for us to take action against climate change. According to Simms, we have only about a hundred months left before we reach the tipping point of global warming, beyond which the effects will be beyond our control.

The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere today, the most prevalent greenhouse gas, is the highest it has been for the past 650,000 years. In the space of just 250 years, as a result of the coal-fired Industrial Revolution, and changes to land use such as the growth of cities and the felling of forests, we have released, cumulatively, more than 1,800bn tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Currently, approximately 1,000 tonnes of CO2 are released into the Earth’s atmosphere every second, due to human activity. Greenhouse gases trap incoming solar radiation, warming the atmosphere. When these gases accumulate beyond a certain level — often termed a “tipping point” — global warming will accelerate, potentially beyond control.

So what action can we take? You can sign up for the monthly newsletter at onehundredmonths.org to learn more. For now, spread the word.

PS: Now that it’s come up, also check out the Penn and Teller video.