AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Editors' Highlight

Carbon capture and sequestration are needed in addition to emission reductions to prevent temperature increases from global warming

After the recent release of the Fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers, the issue of global warming has risen as a high priority within the governments of several cities, states, countries, and confederations. These governing bodies have begun discussing, and in some cases passing, legislation requiring specific greenhouse gas reductions by 2050. Weaver et al. (2007) used a coupled atmosphere/ocean/carbon cycle model to examine the long-term climate implications of various 2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. They found that all emission targets considered with less than 60% global reduction by 2050 break the 2.0°C threshold warming for this century, a number that some have argued represents an upper bound on manageable climate warming. Further, even when emissions are stabilized at 90% below present levels by 2050, the authors found that the 2.0°C threshold is eventually broken. These results suggest that if a temperature increase of 2.0°C is to be avoided, carbon capture and sequestration projects are needed in addition to sustained emission reductions.

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