Climate Panel Says Upper Limit on Emissions Is Nearing

A UN panel that assesses and advises on climate change reports the phenomenon is well underway and likely to get worse, with human emissions as the cause. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has also listed a carbon budget for the globe: “To stand the best chance of keeping the planetary warming below an internationally agreed target of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels and thus avoiding the most dangerous effects of climate change, the panel found, only about 1 trillion tons of carbon can be burned and the resulting gas spewed into the atmosphere,” reports Justin Gillis for the New York Times. One researcher calculates that trillionth ton will be released by 2040. Emissions are uneven around the globe. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for a meeting of world leaders in 2014 and continues to emphasize the need for a global climate treaty. – YaleGlobal