350 - the magic number

With only 3 and a half weeks to the UN climate change negotiations in Copenhagen the pressure is building for a deal. Yet the latest commitments and pledges show that we are a long long way from where we need to be. We are currently at 390 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere and rising at 2-2.5 parts per million per year. As CO2 lingers in the atmosphere for over 100 years, the bulk of the problem has been caused by the industrialised countries.

Science is telling us that 350 parts per million is a safe level. With the policies and measures pledged so far, we are on track for 650-700 parts per million (with a best estimate of an average of 4 degs C warming this century).

So can we get to 350? Yes we can. We have the technologies available today and the policies needed are known. There are transitional costs but these costs are manageable, even in a time of economic downturn. In fact, if we don't take action, the costs of runaway climate change will be significantly higher and, importantly, the costs won't just be economic, they will be in human lives.

In case you are lacking in motivation to contact your politicians about this, watch this. If you want to see 350, you know what you have to do!