Run-Away Climate Change
Carbon Budget
A carbon budget refers to the amount of carbon that can be emitted before global temperature rise exceeds a certain limit. The concept was first proposed in the 1980s and has gained traction since 2009 with the establishment of the 2 °C target as a basis for climate policy. Though carbon budgets are hard to […]
Carbon Neutrality
Carbon neutrality refers to balancing the CO2 emissions of an activity, business or country by removing an equal amount of emissions from the atmosphere. It is achieved via , which uses different methods, such as tree-planting or renewable energy projects, all of which have been criticized as ineffective. The debate around carbon neutrality Anthropogenic activities […]
Carbon Sequestration
Storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in forests, oceans, or underground geological formations to slow down or prevent the buildup of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. The process aims to counteract the increase in – the main contributor to . Sequestration can occur naturally in carbon sinks such as forests and oceans. It is also possible through […]
Climate Emergency
The current situation where humans have heated the planet so much that we risk tipping over the climate system into towards a “Hothouse Earth”. The term stresses the necessity of taking urgent action to eliminate and reverse the causes of the heating. Several countries have recently declared a climate emergency.
Extinction
The dying out of a certain species. Human activities and have already caused the extinction of many species. The projects that at 4°C 40-70% of all species on the planet could become extinct. Rapid heating of the planet, possibly due , has been associated with past mass extinction events on our planet.
Low Carbon
A term promoted by corporations to convince people that it’s impossible to reach zero carbon emissions, while in fact it is an urgent necessity to stop . It is an attempt to undermine pressures against the business of these corporations. Sometimes, nuclear and other questionable energy sources hide behind the term.
Methane Emissions
Methane (CH4) is the main component of fossil gas, making up 96% of its composition. It is also emitted from deforestation, landfills, cattle and other natural sources. Methane is over 100 times stronger than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas, but within 7 years, 50% washes out of the atmosphere. Methane is 80 times […]
Permafrost
Permafrost is frozen land to the North of Asia, North America and Europe. It is currently melting, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide and methane, which will contribute to . Melting permafrost is one of the that contribute to . Melting permafrost has recently exposed mammoths that had been caught in the ice for millennia […]
ppm CO2
Parts per million (ppm) is how the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is quantified. While this concentration was at 280 ppm CO2 before the industrial era, it has now exceeded 410 ppm CO2. According to renowned climatologist James Hansen, going above 350 ppm CO2 for an extended period of time makes the risk […]
Copy link