'Compost effect' may cause global warming to reach crisis point in 2050

[muriel_volestrangler]

The world faces a catastrophic rise in global warming in 2050 unless urgent action is taken to cut human-induced carbon emissions, a leading academic warned yesterday.

Professor Peter Cox, of Exeter University, told the Royal Geographical Society annual conference that temperatures could rise 8C by 2100 because of a "compost effect" which could see carbon dioxide levels increase 50 per cent faster than previously estimated.

Currently, around one quarter of carbon emissions are absorbed by the soil and one quarter by the oceans. It had previously been assumed that these proportions would remain the same. But Professor Cox said that global warming is damaging the soil's ability to absorb carbon emissions.

He said this vicious circle would reach crisis point in 2050 when a key threshold would be passed. After this point the land would begin to release carbon into the atmosphere. He predicted that this "compost effect" would lead to carbon dioxide levels rising from the current 380 parts per million to more than 1,000 parts per million by 2100.

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1223131.ece

[NNadir]

1. For my money, I wish we would stop discussing future threshold points.

All this talk seems - to me - to suggest that there is some time to spare.

There is no time to spare. It is happening now.

[phantom power]

2. That is exactly what it's intended to suggest. That it is in the future.

These are all puff pieces. As you say, the climate train-wreck is already underway. Just because some of us have seats closer to the caboose doesn't make it any less real.

[PATRICK]

3. Plankton share decreasing too

I wish I could reference the earlier post that mentioned the oceans were failing to take out their expected levels of CO2 as well. I hope someone is keeping a cumulative list. individually they are isolated scares and projections, together they are the inescapable roadmap to the ever nearing future.