What ancient climates tell us about high carbon dioxide concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere
File(s)BN13 What ancient climates tell us about high carbon.pdf (409.84 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Siegert, Martin
Haywood, Alan
Lunt, Dan
van de Flierdt, tina
Francis, Jane
Type
Report
Abstract
This briefing discusses the last time our planet had the same levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as it does today, and what environmental conditions were like then. Studying the geology from this and earlier periods tells us that global temperatures may rise by over 10°C if we keep emitting carbon dioxide as forecast for the next 80 years. The paper explains how, to avoid this catastrophic climate, the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 at the latest.
Date Issued
2020-05-26
Citation
What ancient climates tell us about high carbon dioxide concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere, 2020, pp.1-6
Publisher
The Grantham Institute
Start Page
1
End Page
6
Journal / Book Title
What ancient climates tell us about high carbon dioxide concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere
Copyright Statement
© 2020 The authors, produced for The Grantham Institute. This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence. This licence permits all or part of the work to be copied and shared with others, provided that the original authors and source are credited. The full licence is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Identifier
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham
Subjects
Climate change
Climate
Environment
Carbon dioxide
Geology
Place of Publication
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
Briefing note 13