BACKGROUND
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change) has a goal of limiting global warming to below 1.5ºC by 2025 – a 425-450 ppm CO2 tipping point. In 2022, CO2 has reached 420 ppm at the Mauna Loa observatory. Even at the current 1.2ºC warming, extreme climate events (heatwaves, floods) are common.
The IPCC Special Report says: “There is substantial evidence that human-induced global warming has led to an increase in the frequency, intensity and/or amount of heavy precipitation events at the global scale.” And: “Overshooting (CO2 limits) poses large risks for natural and human systems, especially if the temperature at peak warming is high, because some risks may be long-lasting and irreversible, such as the loss of some ecosystems (high confidence).”
A new IPCC report (April 2022) says, “The window to meet UN climate targets is vanishing. Emissions must peak by 2025 to keep global warming well below the 2°C limit set by the Paris agreement.”
It may take a decade or more to develop and mass-produce Pico Solar Sails. It may take three decades to launch trillions of Pico Sails to L1. Development should start ASAP, in parallel with SAI (stratospheric aerosol injection).
Time is of the essence!
HEADLINES
- IPCC Special Report: GLOBAL WARMING OF 1.5 ºC (Chapter 03) mpacts of 1.5ºC global warming on natural and human systems.
- The Climate Action Tracker shows that no countries are meeting the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goals.
- Nature Climate Change (July 2021): "Increasing probability of record-shattering climate extremes"
- Washington Post (Oct 2021): “National climate pledges are too weak to avoid catastrophic warming. Most countries are on track to miss them anyway.”
- AP News (Nov 2021): "UN chief says global warming goal on ‘life support."
- CNN (June 19, 2022): Germany to fire up coal stations as Russia squeezes gas supply
- NYT (June 14, 2022): Russia’s largest coal mine: One Site, 95 Tons of Methane an Hour
- BBC (July 19, 2022): Australia's environment in 'shocking' decline, report finds
- New Scientist (Aug 23, 2022) Heatwave in China is the most severe ever recorded in the world
- Nature Climate Change (August 2022): "Greenland ice sheet climate disequilibrium and committed sea-level rise”
- BBC News (Aug 17, 2022) Climate change: 'Staggering' rate of global tree losses from fires
- BBC News (Sept 8, 2022) Climate change: Six tipping points ‘likely’ to be crossed
- CarbonBrief (Sept 8, 2022) Global warming above 1.5C could trigger ‘multiple’ tipping points
- Science Alert (Sept 11, 2022) Scientists Studying Earth's Trees Issue a Stark Warning to Humanity
- BBC (Oct 27, 2022) Climate change: UN warns key warming threshold slipping from sight
- Guardian (Oct 28, 2022) Climate crisis study finds heatwaves have cost global economy $16tn
- Science Alert (Oct 29, 2022) Almost Half of Earth's Vital Signs Are Now 'Code Red', Scientists Warn
- Guardian (Oct 30, 2022) Cop27 climate summit: window for avoiding catastrophe is closing fast
- Nature (Nov 11, 2022) Carbon emissions hit new high: warning from COP27
- Guardian (Nov 13, 2022 The 1.5C climate target is dead – to prevent total catastrophe, Cop27 must admit it
- NYT (Nov 10, 2022) Carbon Dioxide Emissions Increased in 2022 as Crises Roiled Energy Markets
- New Yorker (Nov 22, 2022): Dimming the Sun to Cool the Planet Is a Desperate Idea, Yet We’re Inching Toward It.