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08-31-2016

Study: Global Pledges To Cut Carbon Emissions Will Actually Help

Study: Global Pledges To Cut Carbon Emissions Will Actually Help. A climate research group says carbon emissions cuts pledged by governments could rein in global warming by up to 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F) by 2100.

On Thursday – the deadline for submitting pledges for a U.N. climate pact – the Climate Action Tracker group said if fully implemented, the emissions targets would result in 2.7 C (4.9 F) of warming compared to pre-industrial times. Without those cuts, the group calculated that there would be an additional 0.5-1.1 C (0.9-2.0 F) of warming. Study: Global Pledges To Cut Carbon Emissions Will Actually Help

Currently, temperatures are about 1.8 C (3.2 F) warmer than in pre-industrial times. Carbon is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon makes up only about 0.025 percent of Earth’s crust. Three isotopes occur naturally, ¹²C and ¹³C being stable, while ¹⁴C is a radionuclide, decaying with a half-life of about 5,730 years. Carbon is one of the few elements known since antiquity.

A separate analysis this week by the U.S.-based Climate Interactive group projected 3.5 C (6.3 F) of warming based on the current pledges.

All major carbon polluters except India submitted targets by Thursday.

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