Climate 411

This is the first installment of a four-part series to be published each Wednesday on Action Needed to Stop Global Warming.

1. How Warm is Too Warm?
2. Worldwide Emissions Target
3. U.S. Emissions Target
4. Technologies to Get Us There

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (see IPCC report [PDF] and description of the IPCC), global warming is “unequivocal”, and almost certainly due to human activities. Moreover, the IPCC says, global warming is already doing significant damage – more droughts, wildfires, heat waves, and downpours, and more intense hurricanes. What can we do about it?

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ignoratio elenchi n.
A logical fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but has nothing to do with the proposition it purports to prove. Also known as “irrelevant conclusion”. [Lat. ignorance of refutation.]

In her comment to our Exxon post, Beth Wellington raises an important question: What can we do to make sure that our kids are being taught the real facts on climate change? Her question reminded me of a recent incident, and leads me to award this week’s Ignoratio Elenchi Award to an unknown teacher from an unspecified state. Let me explain.

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Tons of CO₂ pollution. We are always hearing about how many tons of CO₂ pollution we emit. The average American car emits about seven tons of CO₂ in a year; the average American family, about 24 tons; the United States as a whole, over seven billion tons; and worldwide, almost 30 billion tons. The Virgin Earth Challenge (see last week’s post) offers $25 million to whoever can economically remove one billion tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year.

But what is a ton of CO₂?

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