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Image: NASA Earth Observatory, Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon

Time to Wait?

Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions decrease the risk of irreversible changes in the climate system

There is growing evidence that human greenhouse gas emissions affect the climate on Earth and contribute to global warming. Recent climate model simulations indicate that not only the absolute concentration of greenhouse gases, but also the rate of concentration increase determines how strongly the climate is perturbed. These models further suggest the existence of thresholds, beyond which irreversible changes may occur.

Factsheet: Time to Wait?

These new findings clearly indicate that a further delay of reduction measures tends to increase the risk of reorganisations in the climate system. 'Business-as-usual' and 'wait-and-see' policies reduce the option of choices in the future and lower critical thresholds of maximum greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

Source: ProClim Fact-Sheet

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  • Emission
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