Pathways for Reducing Emissions
The Art
The Science
What’s Inspiring
This graph shows possible scenarios of levels required to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to limit global mean temperature rise in the post-industrial era to not more than 2 degrees Centigrade (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The graph demonstrates the critical importance of prompt responses in order to avoid the need for more drastic mitigation measures in the future. The black curves reflect the fastest reduction scenarios, resulting in the least need for future negative emissions. The red curves show a slower response, requiring much deeper levels of future negative emissions.
The message is clear: The sooner we act, the greater the chance of reducing the negative impacts and costs of climate change.
Fourth National Climate Assessment, US Global Change Research Program, FAQs, Figure A5.23, nca.2018.globalchange.gov
