Introduction

Whole Systems Approach to Ecological Design

Appropriate Technology: Water

Organic Agriculture and Local Food

Appropriate Technology: Energy

Green Building & Retrofitting

Carbon Emissions Reduction

The emisssions can either be:

1. Direct emissions – those things individuals or communities can do something about – energy use, consumption, fuel choices, etc.
2. Indirect emissions - those things individuals or communities can do little or nothing about – the military, public services and so on.

The United Nations IPCC has stated:

The chart aside is from the Stern Review on the economic impact of climate change.  The conclusion is action now will be less expensive than delay.

By reducing the global emissions from the current 40 GtCO2pa (Giga Tonnes per annum) by 70% we can limit the global temperature rise.  This means following the red 450 ppm line in the top chart at right.  “Business as usual” – doing nothing is the blue line, which shows a doubling of emissions by 2050 to 80 GtCO2pa.  This is likely to cause runaway global climate change.

Contraction and Convergence

High carbon nations would reduce their emissions, while allowing low emitting nations to have modest increases so that as a planet we converge to a single carbon emissions number by 2050, which is around 3 tCO2pp/pa.  The Global Commons Institute sees this as the basic strategy for a fair strategy to reach our goal of limiting CO2 emission concentration to a peak of 450 ppm.

Recent research by Bill McKibbon suggests that we should in fact aim to reduce CO2 emissions to 350 ppm. While there is some debate over the exact number, the key issue is that if we continue on the path we are currently on, runaway climate change is inevitable. It is essential that CO2 emissions are reduced substantially on a global scale.

• Carbon cycle
• Climate change
• Carbon footprint
• Carbon emissions reduction
• Effects of climate change
• Peak Oil

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The Global Commons Institute (GCI) is an independent group concerned with the protection of the global commons. GCI was founded in 1990 after the Second World Climate Conference.
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350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the Earth.
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