| Sourced From Good.is |
How low can you go? Thats the question environmentalists will be asking world leaders when they gather in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December to hash out a new global climate treaty mandating how drastically countries will slash their greenhouse gas emissions. Galvanized by NASA scientist James Hansen, a growing number of advocates are pushing an ambitious target: 350 parts per million, which they say is the maximum concentration of carbon dioxide we can support in our atmosphere if we want to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Carbon particles trap heat from the sun, causing a cascade of threats to Earth: the melting of glaciers, an increase in droughts, and possibly the spread of mosquito-borne disease. The atmosphere currently contains 385 ppm of CO2and that number is climbing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified a higherand more politically feasible450 ppm cap to stop global warming.
Budding environmental scientist Ryan Hottle, 26, decided he wouldnt wait for the meeting in Copenhagen.
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