clair031

We experience weather at the local or regional level.   Here, one person may be in a heavy rainstorm, while there, somewhere else in the world, another could be in an uncomfortable heat wave.   Daily or weekly weather, however, is not the same as long-term regional or global climate; climate relates to yearly, multi-year, and even decade-long behavior.   The world’s climate is affected by the atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which continued unabated during 2013.   GHGs in the atmosphere preferentially retain heat radiating from the earth’s surface and prevent its escape to space.   Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide .   The World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ), an agency of the United Nations, reported recently that the global average concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), a major GHG, reached a record level of 396 parts per million (ppm; volume of CO 2 gas in 1 million volumes of air) in 2013 (see the graphic below).  ...

China recently confirmed its plan   to place the entire nation under a carbon market (cap-and-trade regime) to lower its annual rate of emitting carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the important greenhouse gas, beginning in 2016.   China intends to continue lowering its carbon intensity, i.e., the amount of CO 2 emitted for each US$ of gross domestic product ( GDP ) that the economy produces.   The goal is to reduce the carbon intensity by 40-45% below the 2005 value by 2020.   Averaged over this 15-year period, this corresponds to a reduction of 2.7-3% per year.   This can arise from increased efficiencies in energy production and use from fossil fuels, and by increased production of energy from renewable sources.   While this accomplishment would be highly significant, the objective does not directly address China ’s total CO 2 emission rate.   China ’s net annual rate of emitting CO 2 is projected to grow between 2014...