The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere today, the most prevalent greenhouse gas, is the highest it has been for the past 650,000 years. Currently, approximately 1,000 tonnes of CO2 are released into the Earth’s atmosphere every second, due to human activity. Greenhouse gases trap incoming solar radiation, warming the atmosphere. When these gases accumulate beyond a certain level – often termed a “tipping point” – global warming will accelerate, potentially beyond control.
A rise of 2C may mask big problems that begin at a lower level of warming. For example, collapse of the Greenland ice sheet is more than likely to be triggered by a local warming of 2.7C, which could correspond to a global mean temperature increase of 2C or less. The disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet could correspond to a sea-level rise of up to 7 metres. 100 months from today we will reach a concentration of greenhouse gases at which it is no longer “likely” that we will stay below the 2C temperature rise threshold.
According to the Green New Deal Group, humanity only has 100 months to prevent dangerous global warming. Its proposals include major investment in renewable energy and the creation of thousands of new “green collar” jobs. The name is taken from President Franklin D Roosevelt’s “New Deal”, launched 75 years ago to bring the US out of the Great Depression. Its members include former Friends of the Earth UK director Tony Juniper, Green MEP Caroline Lucas and Andrew Simms, policy director of the New Economics Foundation (nef).
The group’s recommendations include:
- massive investment in renewable energy and wider transformation in the UK
- the creation of thousands of new “green collar” jobs
- making low-cost capital available to fund the UK’s green economic shift
- building a new alliance between environmentalists, industry, agriculture and unions
The authors said their proposals drew inspiration from President Roosevelt’s 1933 New Deal. During 100 days, he sent a record number of bills to Congress, all of which went on to become law, including banking reforms and emergency relief programmes. The prolific reforms were credited with turning around the US economy.
The authors say that that within “the very real timeframe of 100 months” the world will reach the point where the risk of “runaway” climate change became unacceptably high.