Avoiding dangerous climate change [International Symposium on Stabilisation of Greenhouse Gas Concentrations, Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change, (ADCC), Exeter, United Kingdom, on 1 - 3 February 2005

This Volume Presents The Most Recent Findings From The Leading International Scientists That Attended The Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change Conference In 2005 Hosted By The Uk Government. The Topics Addressed Include Critical Thresholds And Key Vulnerabilities Of The Climate System And Impacts On Human And Natural Systems. Foreword / Tony Blair -- Ministerial Address / Margaret Beckett -- Section I. Key Vulnerabilities Of The Climate System And Critical Thresholds -- Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change / Rajendra Pachauri -- An Overview Of Dangerous Climate Change / Stephen H. Schneider And Janica Lane -- The Antarctic Ice Sheet And Sea Level Rise / Chris Rapley -- The Role Of Sea-level Rise And The Greenland Ice Sheet In Dangerous Climate Change : Implications For The Stabilization Of Climate / Jason A. Lowe ... [et Al.] -- Assessing The Risk Of A Collapse Of The Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation / Michael E. Schlesinger ... [et Al.] -- Towards A Risk Assessment For Shutdown Of The Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation / Richard Wood ... [et Al.] -- Towards The Probability Of A Rapid Climate Change / Peter G. Challenor, Robin K.s. Hankin And Robert Marsh -- Reviewing The Impact Of Increased Co2 On Oceanic Ph And The Marine Ecosystem / C. Turley ... [et Al.] -- Section Ii. General Perspectives On Dangerous Impacts -- Critical Levels Of Greenhouse Gases, Stabilization Scenarios, And Implications For The Global Decisions / Yu. A. Izrael And S.m. Semenov -- Perspectives On Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference : Or, How To Operationalize Article 2 Of The Un Framework Convention On Climate Change / Farhana Yamin, Joel B. Smith And Ian Burton -- Impacts Of Global Climate Change At Different Annual Mean Global Temperature Increases / Rachel Warren -- Section Iii. Key Vulnerabilities For Ecosystems And Biodiversity -- Rapid Species' Responses To Changes In Climate Require Stringent Climate Protection Targets / Arnold Van Vliet And Rik Leemans -- Climate Change-induced Ecosystem Loss And Its Implications For Greenhouse Gas Concentration Stabilisation / John Lanchbery -- Tropical Forests And Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide : Current Conditions And Future Scenarios / Simon L. Lewis ... [et Al.] -- Conditions For Sink-to-source Transitions And Runaway Feedbacks From The Land Carbon Cycle / Peter M. Cox, Chris Huntingford And Chris D. Jones -- Section Iv. Socio-economic Effects : Key Vulnerabilities For Water Resources, Agriculture, Food And Settlements -- Human Dimensions Implications Of Using Key Vulnerabilities For Characterizing Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference / Anand Patwardhan And Upasna Sharma -- Climate Change And Water Resources : A Global Perspective / Nigel W. Arnell -- Relationship Between Increases In Global Mean Temperature And Impacts On Ecosystems, Food Production, Water And Socio-economic Systems / Bill Hare -- Assessing The Vulnerability Of Crop Productivity To Climate Change Thresholds Using An Integrated Crop-climate Model / A.j. Challinor ... [et Al.] -- Climate Stabilisation And Impacts Of Sea-level Rise / Robert J. Nicholls And Jason A. Lowe -- Section V. Regional Perspectives : Polar Regions, Mid-latitudes, Tropics And Sub-tropics -- Arctic Climate Impact Assessment / Susan Joy Hassol And Robert W. Corell -- Evidence And Implications Of Dangerous Climate Change In The Arctic / Tonje Folkestad ... [et Al.] -- Approaches To Defining Dangerous Climate Change : An Australian Perspective / Will Steffen, Geoff Love And Penny Whetton -- Regional Assessment Of Climate Impacts On California Under Alternative Emission Scenarios : Key Findings And Implications For Stabilisation / Katharine Hayhoe ... [et Al.] -- Impacts Of Climate Change In The Tropics : The African Experience / Anthony Nyong And Isabelle Niang-diop -- Key Vulnerabilities And Critical Levels Of Impacts In East And Southeast Asia / Hideo Harasawa -- Section Vi. Emission Pathways -- Probabilistic Assessment Of Dangerous Climate Change And Emissions Scenarios : Stakeholder Metrics And Overshoot Pathways / Michael D. Mastrandrea And Stephen H. Schneider -- What Does A 2°c Target Mean For Greenhouse Gas Concentrations? : A Brief Analysis Based On Multi-gas Emission Pathways And Several Climate Sensitivity Uncertainty Estimates / Malte Meinshausen -- Observational Constraints On Climate Sensitivity / Myles Allen ... [et Al.] -- Of Dangerous Climate Change And Dangerous Emission Reduction / Richard S.j. Tol And Gary W. Yohe -- Multi-gas Emission Pathways For Meeting The Eu 2°c Climate Target / Michel Del Elzen And Malte Meinshausen -- Why Delaying Emissions Cuts Is A Gamble / Steffen Kallbekken And Nathan Rive -- Risks Associated With Stabilisation Scenarios And Uncertainty In Regional And Global Climate Change Impacts / David Stainforth ... [et Al.] -- Impact Of Climate-carbon Cycle Feedbacks On Emissions Scenarios To Achieve Stabilisation / Chris D. Jones, Peter M. Cox And Chris Huntingford -- Section Vii. Technological Options -- How, And At What Costs, Can Low-level Stabilization Be Achieved? : An Overview / Bert Metz And Detlef Van Vuuren -- Stabilization Wedges : An Elaboration Of The Concept / Robert Socolow -- Costs And Technology Role For Different Levels Of Co2 Concentration Stabilization / Keigo Akimoto And Toshimasa Tomoda -- Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change By Including Technological Progress : Scenarios Using A Large-scale Econometric Model / Terry Barker ... [et Al.] -- Carbon Cycle Management With Biotic Fixation And Long-term Sinks / Peter Read -- Scope For Future Co2 Emission Reductions From Electricity Generation Through The Deployment Of Carbon Capture And Storage Technologies / Jon Gibbins ... [et Al.] -- The Technology Of Two Degrees / Jae Edmonds And Steven J. Smith. Editor In Chief Hans Joachim Schellnhuber ; Co-editors Wolfgang Cramer ... [et Al.]. This Book Consolidates The Scientific Findings Presented At The International Symposium On Stabilisation Of Greenhouse Gas Concentrations, Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change (adcc), Held At The Met Office, Exeter, United Kingdom, On 1-3 February 2005 -- P. X. Includes Bibliographical References. The impacts of climate change are already being observed in a variety of sectors and there is greater clarity that these changes are being caused by human activities, mainly through release of greenhouse gases. In 2005 the UK Government hosted the Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change conference to take an in-depth look at the scientific issues associated with climate change. This volume presents the most recent findings from the leading international scientists that attended the conference. The topics addressed include critical thresholds and key vulnerabilities of the climate system, impacts on human and natural systems, socioeconomic costs and benefits of emissions pathways, and technological options for meeting different stabilisation levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The volume provides invaluable information for researchers in environmental science, climatology, and atmospheric chemistry, policy-makers in governments and environmental organizations, and scientists and engineers in industry