CO2: The Epic Series of Our Lifetime

Episode 2: The Epic Crossover Event in the Battle Against CO2

Welcome back, dear viewers, to the blockbuster sequel in our climate saga, where the stakes are as high as the final season of "Game of Thrones”. In our inaugural episode, we navigated the complex world of carbon dioxide, meeting our central character, CO2, and understanding its pivotal role in the climate narrative.

As we kick off episode 2, we're bringing you the ultimate crossover event, where strategies and masterplans from different realms unite in a united front against our common adversary, CO2.

In the coming episode, we will get into some of the consequences of increasing CO2 and then unveil the tangible plans that are being crafted to offer a beacon of hope in our climate storyline. We will take you on a journey through the Speed and Scale plan and the Project Drawdown plan, a blueprint with the heart and soul of a "Ted Lasso" pep talk.

So, grab your popcorn and settle in because this episode promises a roller-coaster of emotions, with plot twists, cliffhangers, and, perhaps, a hero's journey towards a happier ending in our battle against climate change. It's the epic event you've been waiting for, and trust us, it's going to be binge-worthy!

What Happens if the World Gets Warmer?

As the world gets warmer due to climate change, we're not just heading into a new season but venturing into a series with higher stakes and more dramatic plot twists. The first sign of this change is the melting of the polar ice caps, contributing to rising sea levels that threaten coastal communities. It's a storyline with a foreboding cliffhanger; according to a study published in the journal "Nature," sea levels could rise by up to 1.3 meters by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed.

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe, turning the daily news into a series of disaster movie trailers with hurricanes, floods, and droughts taking the lead roles. These events, which have already increased globally, can lead to devastating natural disasters, affecting millions of people and causing significant economic damage.

Moreover, warmer temperatures are altering ecosystems, affecting both flora and fauna. It's as if species are migrating to new sets for spin-off series, finding themselves in cooler regions and leading to new interactions that can disrupt local ecosystems.

The consequences of a warmer world are far-reaching, and the narrative is clear: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to renewable energy, and implementing sustainable practices are crucial. Regardless of the prediction model, life tends to get more complicated, and certainly not as fun as we would find in a TV drama, when the world is hotter.

How Much Do We Need to Reduce?

With as much significance as the "Golden Age of The Simpsons" in the environmental sphere, 196 countries convened during the 2015 COP 21 in Paris. They united with a groundbreaking agreement to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and to ambitiously “limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

The scriptwriters at the UN body, the IPCC, have outlined a stringent timeline for this narrative, emphasising that to limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must reach their climactic peak before 2025 and then decline by a notable 43% by 2030.

It's a race against time, where every decision we make counts. The IPCC uses a concept called the carbon budget. This concept is essentially a way to measure the CO2e concentration output from humans, rather than the general atmospheric concentration, ensuring that every character — or in this case, every country — plays their part effectively.

As we venture into this critical storyline, it's evident that the remaining Carbon Budget is somewhat of a moving target, varying depending on the goals we set and the confidence we have in our calculations.

So Where Does All the CO2e Come From?

We're tracking the main characters in the CO2e saga, unveiling where the globally produced 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions originate.