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What happens if global temperatures rise more than two degrees centigrade?

A photo of Hans Joachim Schellnhuber

Hans Joachim Schellnhuber

Chief Science Advisor to the German government, Climate Change Expert

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About the video: ‘What happens if global temperatures rise more than two degrees centigrade?’

John Schellnhuber says we cannot allow the Earth’s climate to warm beyond 2˚C above pre-industrial levels. Beyond this our changed climatic system could make life intolerable for many on the planet. Given that we have already seen warming of 1˚C, a phenomenon that has seen considerable acceleration in recent years, humanity must make every effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions now. Global warming cannot be stopped at this point, but we can still prevent the worst of it from happening. This means that industrialized nations will have to cut their emissions by as much as 80% by 2050.

Total views: 1,955

Filmed: London, UK on 11 December 2006

Credits: Interviewer - Marcus Morrell, Camera and Editor - Marcus Morrell

Copyright © 2006 Big Picture TV

About Hans Joachim Schellnhuber

Hans Joachim “John” Schellnhuber is the German government’s Chief Advisor on climate change. He is also the founding Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research and a former Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in England. In 2004 he received an honorary CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in recognition of his accomplishments in advancing a cross-disciplinary understanding of climate change.

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