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Climate change in point form
- A 70 % reduction in CO2 emissions (from 1990 to 2050) is required to stabilise the Earth’s climate. This would result in an atmosphere with 450 parts/million and our global climate stabilising by around 2100 at a temperature at least 1.1 degrees higher than present, with some regions warming by as much as 5 degrees
A more realistic scenario would be 550 parts/million (double the pre-industrial level). This would result in stabilisation centuries from now and an increase in global temperatures around 3 degrees this century.

- A rise of 0.8 to 1.7 degrees would result in approximately 18% of all species to be ‘committed to extinction’. 1.8 to 2.0 around 25% and over 2 degrees would result in more than a third of species to become extinct. It is also likely that species would not be able to disperse and as a result it is predicted that 58% of species are doomed. (Chris Thomas of Leeds University published in Nature late 2004 from studies by him and his colleagues.)

- 540 million years ago living things began to build skeletons of carbonate and to do this they absorbed CO2 from seawater.
'The emission of greenhouse gases.. is causing global warming at a rate that began as significant, has become alarming and is simply unsustainable in the long term. And by long term I do not mean centuries ahead. I mean within the lifetime of my children certainly; and possibly within my own. And by sustainable, I do not mean a phenomenon causing problems of adjustment. I mean a challenge so far-reaching in its impact and irreversible in its destructive power, that it alters radically human existence… There is no doubt that the time to act is now.’ Tony Blair 14 September 2004
 
 
- 56% of all CO2 that humans have created has been by burning fossil fuels this is the cause (directly and indirectly) of around 80% of all global warming.

- In 2002 burning fossil fuels released 21 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere – coal 41% - oil 39% - gas 20%

- Some burning fuels release more CO2 than others – burning 1 tonne of black coal releases 3.7 tonnes of CO2
249 coal power plants are projected to be built between 1999 and 2009, half of which will be in China. 483 will follow in 2010-2019 and 710 between 2020-2030 about 1/3 from China producing 710gigawatts of power. A coal-fired power station lasts 50 years on average and the CO2 they produce lasts for centuries after they are shut down.




This article needs to be illustrated - but by the time I get that sorted the world might be saved!? I also have to credit most of the facts and figures to Tim Flannery's book - The Weather Makers published by The Text Publishing Company 2005 - www.textpublishing.com.au