numbers, not adjectives — D. J. C. MacKay
by Carl Edward Rasmussen, 2024-07-24
Why do we need global climate cooperation? What could it look like and why? And what would motivate nations to join in? Or, why I hope my neighbours love their children too.
Who owns the Atmosphere? Most people agree that the atmosphere is a common asset, shared by us all. Paradoxically, it is governed in a way that violates this consensus. We can limit climate change by cooperating, this page suggests how. Short version.
We need a good unit to measure the effects of greenhouse gases in a personal and relatable way. A degree person day is the effect on the climate corresponding to 1 person having to endure 1°C of warming for 1 day. One ton of CO2e equals 500 degree person days.
The White Elephant in the Green Room.
A fable about Alice, Bob and the Climate.
Mechanisms against Climate Change are the slides from a recent talk, discussing necessary properties of strategies against climate change, and a concrete proposal of how to achieve it.
When will we reach +1.5°C? Global temperature rise will reach 1.5°C in 2035. You don't need fancy climate models to figure that out.
How good is the Paris Agreement? Unfortunately, the Paris Agreement is going to fail. It bears none of the hallmarks necessary for a cooperative agreement to succeed. The sooner we accept this fact, the sooner we can invoke actual solutions.
What is the growth rate of atmospheric CO2? For the past 10 years, the growth rate of CO2 has been close to 2.5 ppm per year, the fastest rate of growth in modern times.
International Cooperation against Climate Change. Effectively addressing climate change requires international cooperation. Unfortunately it is easy to understand why the Paris Agreement will fail, and what effective cooperation would look like.
Sustainable growth is much talked about by economists and politicians and at first sight may sound like an awesome idea. Unfortunately, it doesn't correspond to anything real in a finite physical world.
The UK Climae Change Act and Actual Greenhouse gas emissions We compare the past and future legal limits with actual greenhouse gas emissions for the UK.
Are current UK greenhouse gas emission limits fit for purpose?
The UK government's Jet Zero Strategy is not Net Zero. A quantitative look at the Jet Zero Strategy shows that it is entirely unrealistic.