In case of emergency...

ScienceTargetsSolutionsAction

.info

Contents

Summary 2Science 6Targets 14Solutions 22Action 38

First Published in the United Kingdom 2008 by the Public Interest Research CentreA company limited by guarantee. Registered Charity No: 266446. Registered No: 1112242.

Registered Oce: Y Plas, Machynlleth, Wales, SY20 8ER.

The right of Richard Hawkins, Christian Hunt, Tim Holmes and Tim Helweg-Larsen to beidentied as the lead authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1986.All rights reserved. We actively encourage reproduction in all forms, by all meanselectronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, but only aer prior permission of the

Printed on 100% recycled FSC approved paper using renewable energy andvegetable oil based inks.

ISBN 978-0-9503648-9-6

Cert no.TT-COC-1977

climatesafety

.org

Foreword

Climate Safety

in presenting this examination of recent climate science brings two important

messages. The rst is that climate change is accelerating more rapidly and dangerouslythat most of us in the scientic community had expected or that the IPCC in its 2007 Reportpresented. The second is that, because political inaction has delayed progress for so long, the

imperative for extremely urgent action on both national and global scales is now paramount.The target that has been broadly accepted by many bodies including our own Government isthat a rise in global average temperature of more than 2°C above its preindustrial value must

not be allowed. To achieve this, deforestation must be halted within a decade or two at most

and serious decarbonization of the energy sector must begin immediately. Can the necessary

reductions be achieved? No less a body than the International Energy Agency has just reported(WEO 2008 published on 12 November 2008, also ETP published in June 2008) on how thistarget in the Energy sector can be achieved – but they also point out the unusual degree of

political will that will be necessary.I wish to commend the authors of the

Climate Safety

report for their carefully researched

assessment of the climate future, the severity of its likely impacts as currently understood

and the urgent demands that are made on both global and national action. They point out the2°C target as currently pursued will almost certainly turn out to be inadequate and will soon

need to be substantially strengthened. But they also stress that the required changes are bothachievable and aordable.In a speech at an international conference three years ago, Gordon Brown emphasised strongly

the importance of considering the economy and the environment together. Recent upheavals

in the economic establishment have exposed the danger of assuming that somehow the future,either for the economy or the environment, will look aer itself. It will not!The present opportunity for deliberate and eective action along the lines of

Climate Safety

must be grasped.

Sir John Houghton

Former Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Former Director General of the UK Met Oce