Ik dacht, als ik het mij nog goed herinner, uit de National Geographic docu '6 degrees could change the world" dat een globale opwarming van 3 graden zowat het 'tipping point' is. Eens daarboven mag men van de ene dag op de andere alle CO2 uitstoot stopzetten, dan nog warmt de aarde verder op.
Vanaf 3 graden komt oa fotosynthese zoals wij het kennen in de problemen. Bomen en planten gaan niet langer zuurstof afgeven maar vast houden en gaan zelf CO2 uitstoten. Iets wat men ontdekt heeft tijdens de warme zomer van 2003 in Frankrijk.
"From the beech forests of northern Europe to the evergreen oaks of the Mediterranean, plant growth across the whole landmass in 2003 slowed and then stopped. Instead of absorbing carbon dioxide, the stressed plants began to emit it. Around half a billion tonnes of carbon was added to the atmosphere from European plants, equivalent to a twelfth of global emissions from fossil fuels. This is a positive feedback of critical importance, because it suggests that, as temperatures rise, carbon emissions from forests and soils will also rise. If these land-based emissions are sustained over long periods, global warming could spiral out of control. "
Bron:
A degree by degree explanation of what will happen when the earth warms
"The end of the world is nigh. A three-degree increase in global temperature – possible as early as 2050 – would throw the carbon cycle into reverse. Instead of absorbing carbon dioxide, vegetation and soils start to release it. So much carbon pours into the atmosphere that it pumps up atmospheric concentrations by 250 parts per million by 2100, boosting global warming by another 1.5C. In other words, the Hadley team had discovered that carbon-cycle feedbacks could tip the planet into runaway global warming by the middle of this century – much earlier than anyone had expected. "
Voor de mensen die geïnteresseerd zijn om global warming zelf eens aan te pakken in een educatief spel kan ik
'Fate of the world' aanraden.
Trailer :
YouTube - ‪Fate of the World Trailer 1‬‏
Je kan dit spel vinden op Steam.