Time Is Not On Our Side

What if we actually achieve the target of limiting global warming to a 2
degree Celsius increase? We are unlikely to meet this goal — it’s looking much worse
than that — but what if we did?:

 … It is abundantly clear that the target of a 2-degree Celsius limit to
climate change was mostly derived from what seemed convenient and doable
without any reference to what it really means environmentally. Two degrees
is actually too much for ecosystems. Tropical coral reefs are extremely
vulnerable to even brief periods of warming. .. A 2-degree world will be one
without coral reefs (on which millions of human beings depend for their
well-being)…, there undoubtedly will be massive extinctions and widespread
ecosystem collapse. The difficulty of trying to buffer and manage change
will increase exponentially with only small increments of warming.

In addition, the last time the planet was 2 degrees warmer, the oceans were
four to six (perhaps eight) meters higher. We may not know how fast that
will happen (although it is already occurring more rapidly than initially
estimated), but the end point in sea-level rise is not in question. A major
portion of humanity lives in coastal areas and small island states that will
go under water. …

More than a 2-degree increase should be unimaginable. Yet to stop at 2
degrees, global emissions have to peak in 2016. …

Environmental change is happening rapidly and exponentially. We are out of
time.

Of course, global emissions won’t be anywhere near a peak in 2016.